UK internet, mail order and phone sales were up 21.9 per cent year-on-year last month, according to the latest figures released by the British Retail Consortium (BRC). The month-on-month increase was 15.9 per cent on April.
The BRC-KPMG retail sales monitor showed that like-for-like UK retail sales values across all categories were up by 0.8 per cent on May 2009, when sales fell by 0.8 per cent. On a total basis, sales were up 3 per cent last month, following a 0.8 per cent increase in May 2009.
Commenting on the online sales figures, Stephen Robertson, director general of the BRC, said: “This is excellent sales growth – the highest since December.
“Customers took advantage of the many online deals and promotions, especially on televisions in the lead-up to the World Cup, as well as clothing and footwear.
“But we’ve got to put these figures into context: it’s compared with last year’s very weak performance – the lowest growth for at least 18 months.”
The BRC said while consumer confidence has improved since last year, there remains uncertainty, making people think twice before buying expensive items such as furniture.
By Richard Morris