Good weather brings consumers back to shops
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has announced today that the British High Street saw a flurry of shoppers in April, as a result of the sunshine.
The BRC said like-for-like sales, which excludes sales from new shops, rose by 4.6% in April, compared with the same month last year.
However, the BRC cautions that a surge is traditionally experienced at Easter and since Easter last year was in March, the figures make “comparisons difficult”.
Summer food such as ice cream, barbecue food, dresses, t-shirts, sandals, plants, garden furniture and other outdoor equipment all sold extremely well during April, particularly when compared to last April, which was a cold and rainy month.
However, Stephen Robertson, director general of the BRC, did stress that other non-food sectors missed out on the seasonal boost.
Mr Robertson adds that the worry for the retail sector this year is rising unemployment, which will see consumers continue to rein in spending.
Furthermore, fears over job security will see those worried about losing their jobs tighten their purse strings, also having a negative impact on retail sales.
In related news today, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development said there are clear signs of economic recovery.
Furthermore, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) said today that its members believe house price falls will stabilise in coming months.
Rics added enquiries by new buyers have increased for the sixth consecutive month.
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