Sales at the bookstore have increased but remain below levels before the pandemic

Officials have confirmed an increase in UK retail sales, but according to the ONS, this remains below pre-pandemic levels.

UK retail sales have increased by 0.6% following a 1.5% decrease in September, according to statistics from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The rebound follows low spending at stores after they were open fewer hours or closed during Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral and the weeks following her death, the ONS noted.

But economists predict that this uptick in sales will not remain steady.

According to the most recent London Business Survey released today, shoppers are feeling more positive about local business as confidence grows for the healthy economic outlook for 2014.

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The ONS said petrol and diesel sales rebounded in October and non-food stores sales increased, though both remain well below February 2020 levels. However, the rebound was not seen by food stores. Non-store shops, which are mostly online retailers, saw sales increase by 1.8% after a fall in September. Unlike traditional High Street businesses, online sales remain around fifth higher than pre-pandemic levels.

Darren Morgan, director of economic statistics for the ONS, said the October rebound in sales was due to September’s sales being affected by the extra bank holiday for the state funeral.” Looking at the broader picture, retail sales continue their downward trend seen since summer 2021 and are below where they were pre-pandemic,” he added. The ONS said sales volumes in the August to October period fell by 2.4% when compared with the previous three months.

Senior UK economist Gabriella Dickens says that the rise in sales in October is a “false dawn”.

Lynda Petherick, head of retail at Accenture, echoed these sentiments and said that although Black Friday is coming up next week, retailers will likely not be celebrating with this quarter’s gains. The rising inflation and decreasing real wages only contribute to people’s unease over whether this quarter will bring good cheer after all. With further price increases soon to come, businesses may feel as though they are already giving it their all but may have a difficult time trading during this upcoming Christmas period.