The UK high street recorded its best September sales performance in five years according to the latest High Street Sales Tracker.
Britain’s high street retailers had the strongest September since 2012, as the weak pound led to a rise in the number of overseas tourists and British “staycationers”.
Overall like-for-like sales were up 2.9 per cent, reflecting the best monthly growth since April 2014.
A spokesperson for the report says that the increase comes as a “welcome relief” for retailers ahead of the Christmas season, especially considering the poor Autumn sales figures and previous reports predicting low footfall for the month.
“Pulling off the best September sales growth for five years is a great result for the high street at the start of this critical trading period.”
“In a month when footfall is down, positive like-for-like sales figures demonstrate that shoppers are willing to spend. The favourable weather patterns in September cannot be ignored, particularly for fashion, but this result will be encouraging for retailers as we enter the final quarter of 2017.”
At Beavis Morgan, our specialist advisers to the retail sector understand that, in this competitive environment, retail business owners must work hard to win customer loyalty, adapt to the ever-changing customer demands, increase productivity and strengthen their market position.
We work with a number of retail businesses, helping them with strategic planning, business turnaround and improving business performance for the future.
For further information about how we can help you and your retail business, contact Steve Govey or your usual Beavis Morgan Partner.