UK retail sales bounced back last month following a poor performance in July, according to the latest British Retail Consortium and KPMG sales monitor.
Total UK retail sales increased 4.1% on an annual basis in August, picking up from the 1.8% rise recorded in July.
July's rise was the weakest year-on-year growth in retail sales since August 2022, according to the BRC.
"August saw a bounce back in retail sales growth to 4.1%, which will come as a relief for many retailers. Health, beauty and food and drink were the strongest performing categories both on the high street and online, as consumers made the most of brief spells of sunshine to enjoy the summer holidays," said Paul Martin, UK head of retail at KPMG.
Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the BRC, cautioned that sales growth may fall in the coming months, even if volume growth does not, as the rate of price rises falls amid easing inflation.
Samuel Tombs at Pantheon Macroeconomics said the “survey suggests that July’s 1.2% month-to-month fall in the official measure of sales volumes was a blip driven by bad weather.”