Total retail sales increased 4.9% in the four weeks to October 31 against a decline of 0.3% in the same period the previous year, in line with three-month average growth of 4.9% and ahead of the 12-month average decline of 0.7%.

According to the BRC-KPMG Retail Sales Monitor, UK retail sales – excluding temporarily closed stores and including online sales – increased 5.2% on a like-for-like basis. 

On a three-month basis, in-store sales of non-food items fell 9% and 11.4% in like-for-like and total terms respectively – a marked improvement from the 12-month average decline of 19.6%.