Warm weather boosts clothing sales and bakery trips in August

UK retailers enjoyed an uplift in sales in August as warm weather boosted clothing sales and drew shoppers into bakeries, new data shows.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the total volume of retail sales is estimated to have risen by 0.5% in August.

This is slightly higher than the 0.4% increase that some analysts had been expecting, and unchanged from the revised 0.5% jump in July.

Clothing stores were given a boost during the month, which many retailers said was due to good weather prompting people to stock up on new clothes.

Bakers

Specialist food stores like butchers and bakers recovered from weaker sales in July with reports of more visitors to shops, the ONS found.

Online shops also helped drive the uplift in overall volumes in August.

However, retail sales declined by 0.1% over the three months to August, compared with the three months to May, according to the ONS’s estimates.

Falling car fuel sales helped drag on the rate amid rising petrol and diesel prices.

Fuel

ONS senior statistician Hannah Finselbach said: “Retail sales fell slightly across the latest three months though at a slower rate of decline than seen last month.

“This was mainly due to a poor period for non-food stores, such as antiques dealers and auction houses as well as tech stores, with fuel sales also falling.

“These were only partially offset by increases from online and clothing shops.”