August heatwave boosts retail sales

The hot weather last month provided a small boost to August’s retail sales, despite the cost of living crisis still weighing heavily on consumer spend.
The latest figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) show total sales rose 1% last month, against a growth of 4.1% in August 2023. This is below the 12-month average growth of 1.2%.
Food sales rose 2.9% year on year over the three months to August, against a growth of 8.2% in August 2023 and below the 12-month average of 5.0%.
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