03/07/2002

UK retail sales growth slowest for 18 months

Retail sales grew at the slowest rate for 18 months in the year to June according to the latest CBI figures published on Wednesday July 3.

The CBI said the findings support the May survey which suggested a slowdown in the growth of spending was starting to take effect.

Comparing sales with a year earlier, 45 per cent of firms said sales were up while 29 per cent said they were down. The balance of plus 16 in June compares with plus 25 per cent in May and plus 57 per cent in April.

Retailers continue to be optimistic about the month ahead, though this is the second consecutive survey in which sales expectations have not been fulfilled. The balance of plus 16 recorded for sales volumes in June is well below the expected plus 35 per cent.

(MB)


Related Northern Ireland Business News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

02 April 2002
CBI survey reveals shop sales remain strong
Retail sales remained strong in March but the annual rate of increase has edged down from the peaks over Christmas and the New Year, according to the CBI's latest monthly distributive trades survey. The survey, released on Tuesday April 2, was conducted between 5 and 20 March 2002 with 268 retail outlets taking part.
22 March 2002
Figures show retails sales on the rise
UK retails sales have exceeded analysts' forecasts, according to the latest official figures which show sales volumes growing at their fastest rate since January 2000. The data from the Office for National Statistics details that retails sales grew by 1.
15 January 2002
Tesco fail to match Sainsbury over Christmas period
Figures from Tesco have revealed that its Christmas sales growth failed to match that of archrival J. Sainsbury. Excluding takings from petrol stations, Tesco reported a 6.2 per cent rise in UK Christmas sales for the seven weeks ending on January 5 - compared to that of Sainsbury’s who had a rise of 6.8 per cent.
03 August 2001
Unilever announce first-half profit increase
Consumer goods giant Unilever have announced a 7 per cent rise in half-year pre-tax profits. For the second quarter, Unilever, the name behind some of the best-known products on supermarket shelves - such as Persil detergent, Flora margarine and Dove soap - reported a higher than expected 54 per cent hike in profits.
17 January 2002
Retail sales down for first time in 20 months
Despite the current high street spending spree, UK retail sales during December were down for the first month since April 2000. Releasing the figures, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said that the decrease – of 0.3 per cent – occurred because the previous month’s sales volumes had been extremely strong.