British Retailers See Best Sales In Six Months

British retailers have reported their strongest sales in six months in August thanks to warmer weather, according to new figures.

The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) said its sales volume index rose to +9% in August compared to a year ago, its highest level since February.

It follows hard data from the Office for National Statistics, showing retail sales volumes increased by 1.4% in July compared with June.

CBI head of economic analysis and surveys, Anna Leach, said the summer weather has helped boost high street sales, but "firms do expect sales growth to ease next month".

She (Munich: SOQ.MU - news) said: "While the fall in Sterling has boosted visitor numbers to the UK, it is likely to push up the price of imported goods over time which will mean households will be more likely to rein back spending on non-essentials."

Whilst grocers' sales were broadly flat in the year to August, clothing reported a strong month for sales volumes and internet sales volumes picked up over the same period, outstripping expectations, the CBI said.

Howard Archer, chief UK and European economist at IHS Global Insight, said: "It looks ever more likely that a resilient consumer will keep the UK economy growing in the third quarter despite heightened uncertainties following June's Brexit vote."

The Government has still not commenced the two-year period for formal negotiations about Britain's future relationship with the EU, leaving many firms uncertain about what impact it will have on them.

Samuel Tombs, an economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, said he still expected growth in overall spending to slow sharply.

He said: "Away from the high street, there are clear signs that (consumer activity) is slowing down - falling new car registrations and declining mortgage approvals show households are shying away from big-ticket purchases."

Retail experts Springboard expect the spending spree to continue in the near term.

They are forecasting a 6.5% increase in footfall for the August Bank Holiday weekend, compared to last year, due to the warm weather forecast and an increase in tourists due to the weak pound.