–Nov retail Sales inc. fuel +0.3% m/m; +1.1% y/y
–Nov retail sales ex fuel +0.3% m/m; +1.8% y/y

LONDON (MNI) – Retail sales rose moderately in November as strong
sales of toys, computers and sporting goods offset poor sales of
household goods, according to figures released by National Statistics
Thursday.

Retail sales volumes rose 0.3% on the month in November and were up
1.1% on the year, the strongest yearly growth since May 2010. Analysts
had expected to see an increase of 0.4% on the month and 0.7% on the
year.

Excluding auto-fuel, volumes rose 0.3% on the month and were up
1.8% on the year.

National Statistics said there was some anecdotal evidence from
retailers that sales in the final week of November were hit by the cold
weather and snow.

The figures show volumes continuing to rise at a steady pace,
although growth in the three months to November compared with the
previous three months fell to 0.2%, the lowest since April 2010.

Yesterday, the CBI reported retailers experience strong sales
growth in December, in spite of the adverse weather conditions.

Headline sales for October were revised higher to show an increase
of 0.7% on the month compared with the originally estimated rise of
0.5%. September sales were also revised up to show a fall of 0.4%
against the previous estimate of a fall of 0.5%.

Sales at ‘other stores’ rose 2% on the month in November, led by
increased sales of toys, sporting goods and computers. All other
non-food categories showed declines on the month, led by household goods
which fell 1.1% between October and November.

Department store sales declined 0.6% on the month, while textile,
clothing and footwear were down 0.1%. the clothing and footwear
deflator, which measures the price compared to a year earlier, rose to
2.5% in November, the highest on record, as the cost of raw materials,
notably cotton, has soared in recent months.

Sales at predominantly food stores rose 0.6% on the month while
non-food sales were up 0.2%.

Non-store retailing and repair store sales were down 0.9% on the
month.

The retail sales deflator increased to 2.3% in November from 2.2%
in October. Excluding auto-fuel the deflator increased to 1.7% from
1.5%.

Sales of goods over the internet rose to a record level in
November, accounting for 10.5% of total retail sales.

–London bureau: 00 44 207 862 7492; email: drobinson@marketnews.com

[TOPICS: MT$$$$,M$B$$$,MABDS$]