Feb 10 (Reuters) – British retailers reported a bright start to 2026, marked by strong food sales and more in-store activity in January, the British Retail Consortium trade body said on Tuesday.
The survey added to tentative signs of an improvement in consumer sentiment after British finance minister Rachel Reeves’ budget in November. Official data published on January 23 showed an unexpectedly strong increase in retail sales during December.
KEY DETAILS
• Total food sales rose by 2.7% in annual terms last month, the strongest increase since August.
• Food sales rose by 3.8%, non-food sales were up 1.7%.• The period around the turn of the year showed strongest sales growth as shoppers responded to January sales.
• In-store sales rose at fastest pace in six months.
• Like-for-like sales, which take into account openings and closures of physical stores, rose by 2.3% – again, the strongest year-on-year reading since August.
(Reporting by Andy BruceEditing by William Schomberg)
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