Retail boost on the back of sunshine and rate cut

RETAIL sales were up 3.1% in August driven by good weather and an interest rate cut to round off a “solid” summer, figures show.

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The year-on-year uptick for total sales across the UK was up on last August's 1% and the 12-month average of 2%, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC)-KPMG Retail Sales Monitor.

Computing and mobile phones performed well as parents readied children for the new academic year, but new school clothing and footwear did not sell as well as expected as some families opted for secondhand alternatives, the BRC said.