Retail sales in central London during February showed a 9.9% year-on-year increase on a like-for-like basis, against a 5.8% increase in February 2009, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC).
London sales were stronger than those in the UK as whole, where like-for-like sales rose 2.2% year-on-year, against a 1.8% fall in February 2009.
Stephen Robertson, director general at British Retail Consortium, said: “This is a strong bounce back for sales after winter weather put many people off shopping in January. London sales growth is back to rates more typical of late 2009, confirming that January’s poor performance was a snow-induced blip.
“Sales held over from January, when many people couldn’t easily get out, is one element. More fundamentally, London consumers are less worried about their own situations and the wider economy than they were last year and than people in other parts of the country. Plus overseas visitors are flocking in as the weak pound makes London a cheap place to be and to buy.”
Source: British Retail Consortium (BRC)
