September sales up from summer

The BRC will this week announce a rise in high street sales over September. The British Retail Consortium is likely to say that like-for-like sales on the high street rose by between two and three per cent in September, compared with a rise of 1.8 per cent in August.

However store chiefs believe underlying conditions remain tough and are already preparing for a difficult Christmas trading period. "Over August and September we have seen widespread promotional activity and discounting. I don't think there has ever been quite so much activity. The BRC-KPMG monthly sales figures will not at all be an indication of how the next two months are going to be," said Kevin Hawkins, director general of the BRC. Other figures to be released will paint a more sober picture of spending patterns.