RETAIL sales grew last month on the back of price rises, but sales volumes continued to shrink, figures from BRC-KPMG show.
Total retail sales increased by 2.2% in September, rising slightly from 1% growth in August.
Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium (BRC), said the figures showed that people “shopped cautiously” over the month.
“While UK retail sales grew in September, this represented another month of falling sales volumes given high levels of inflation,” she said.
“As consumer confidence continued to fall, people shopped cautiously, avoiding large ticket items such as new computers, TVs and furniture.
“Many households are also preparing for higher energy costs this winter, with blankets, warm clothing, and energy-efficient appliances, such as air dryers and air fryers, all selling well.”
The figures also showed that food sales grew 4.6% over the three months to September, compared with the same period last year, boosted by inflation.
Elsewhere, non-food sales dipped by 0.4% over the quarter but increased over the month of September after a recovery in fashion.
In a bid to tackle soaring bills, shoppers sent collective sales of ranges including Tesco Perfectly Imperfect and Morrisons Naturally Wonky up 38% over the month.
Supermarket own-label products saw its sales increased by 8.1% this month while branded items declined by 0.7%.
