Furniture was the third fastest-growing category in August, building on the strong momentum of recent months, according to the latest BRC-KPMG Retail Sales Monitor.
UK retail sales were up 1.3% on a like-for-like basis from August 2013, when they had increased 1.8% on the preceding year. On a total basis, sales were up 2.7%, against a 3.6% rise in August 2013. This is the best performance since January, excluding Easter distortions.
Online sales of non-food products in the UK grew 19.8% in August versus a year earlier – the highest online growth on record.
According to the monitor, retailers were pleased with demand for big ticket items, as GfK's Climate for Major Purchase index improved from -3 in July to -1 in August. Just behind Furniture, the other home categories had a good month, continuing to benefit from the better housing market. There was good demand for home decorations, and among House Textiles products, there was good demand for duvets, as August was cooler this year than it was last year.
Helen Dickinson, director general, British Retail Consortium (BRC), says: "August has recorded the strongest growth in retail sales since January this year, excluding Easter distortions, accelerating to 2.7%. This was driven in the main by the best growth of clothing and footwear since December 2011, indicating a higher level of consumer confidence in the economy. Furniture sales also did well as the strength of the housing market continues, although not as well as in July."
