Slight Growth In High Street Sales

There was a slight improvement in high street sales in the year to October according to the latest CBI distributive trades’ survey results. Businesses also expect volumes to improve further in November.

The improved results in volumes were greater than expected and the best figures since December 2007. A small percentage of retailers reported poor sales for the time of year, which was an improvement on last month, and they expect sales to remain below seasonal norms in November.

Stocks are more than adequate to meet demand but more orders are expected in November than were placed in October.

The sectors that have performed particularly well include durable household goods, furniture and carpets, booksellers and stationers. Clothing, footwear and leather retailers and grocers also reported sales growth. Sales fell for chemists and the hardware, china and DIY retailers.

The wholesale sector's sales volumes were flat for the second month running but better than the expected fall. Food and drink wholesalers reported strong sales growth, but industrial materials and builders merchants had a difficult month. The motor trades saw trade volumes fall and many expect sales to fall again in November. Vehicle sales, rather than parts and accessories were the main factor in the poor sales report.