Retail sales got off to a bad start in 2010 with a like-for-like fall of 0.7% in January 2010 compared with the 1.1% rise in January 2009. On a total basis, January sales in 2010 reported an increase of 1.2% compared with the 3.2% of January 2009.
The weather was a factor as snow seemed to affect shoppers. Food sales went up in the first week of January while non-food sales suffered, especially discretionary items. Food sales slowed down and non-food sales improved slightly as the weather got better.
Internet, mail order and telephone sales were 14.6% higher in January 2010 than January 2009 and 26.5% in December. The snow may also have been a factor in the improvement of online sales. There was growth in the number of new online customers. Non-store retailing is the fastest growing sector but it still only accounts for 4% of total sales.
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