Buoyant January precedes pressure costs for retailers

Total retail sales up 2.6%

Retailers enjoyed their strongest sales growth in almost two years in January, with all categories except toys and baby equipment registering positive figures, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC).

While total retail sales were up 2.6% last month compared to growth of 1.2% in January 2024, food sales struggled year-on-year, increasing by 2.8% in January, lower than the 6.1% growth recorded in the same period a year before. Shop price deflation hits 0.7% in January as prices are expected to rise Despite the stormy weather impacting footfall, non-food retailers saw their sales increase by 2.5% year-on-year in January, compared to a decline of 2.8% in January 2024.  However, the three-month average sits at 0.2%, prompting Linda Ellett, UK head of consumer, retail and leisure at ...