Retail sales fall 0.2% in August

Retail sales fell by 0.2% in volume terms in August, new figures from the Office of National Statistics show, with the outbreak of looting helping to bring about a reverse from the previous month's 0.2% rise.The 0.2% fall was not as severe as the 0.3% drop that had been expected.Sales volumes in August were flat from the same month last year, with a 13.7% in non-store (predominately internet) retailing helping to offset a 1.2% fall in non-food sales and a 0.8% fall in food stores. In value terms, retail sales in August were flat from the previous month and up by 4.7% from the same month last year. The ONS said that retailers were affected by having to close their shops due to the looting, but that others benefited from shoppers going to alternative stores. Large retail chains have been reporting mixed trading lately. Kingfisher, the owner of the DIY chain B&Q today reported a rise in like-for-like sales and homewares group Dunelm reported higher full year pre-tax profits, but electricals retailer Kesa, which owns Comet, posted a sharp fall in sales.