ACS

Sales of retail goods rose in January, figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and KPMG have revealed today. On a like-for-like basis, food sales were up by 5.1% and retail sales in general rose by 1.1%. This is the biggest increase since May 2008.

IGD chief executive Joanne Denney-Finch, said: “Food and drink is holding up well, suggesting an industry that is recession-resistant. It is also highly adaptable and very much in tune with its shoppers, tailoring product offers to their changing needs.
 
“IGD consumer research demonstrates that shoppers are increasingly price sensitive, with 36% mentioning price as a main driver of product choice today, compared with 29% this time last year.
 
“But while they are shopping around for the best value, they are not, in general, letting the recession get in the way of enjoying the high standard of food and drink they consume at home. Support for ethical shopping - for example free-range, Fairtrade and local foods - continues to grow. Animal welfare, in particular, is high on shoppers’ agendas with one in five (20%) looking for high standards, compared with one in eight (13%) a year ago.”
 
The BRC/KPMG Retail Sales Monitor covers the four weeks between 4 January and 31 January.