Retail Sales
Firm growth continues
Underlying growth in retail sales volume remained firm, buoyed by an increase in monthly sales volume in May.
The volume of retail sales in the three months March to May was 1.1 per cent higher than in the previous three months. compares with 0.9 per cent growth at the same time in 2006.
Three-monthly growth in sales volume was 0.4 per cent for food stores and 1.5 per cent for non-food stores. The highest three-monthly growth was for non-food stores at 3.5 per cent, the strongest growth in this sector since March 2004. This contrasts with household goods stores where sales fell by 1.5 per cent, the lowest for this sector since April 2005.
Compared with the same period a year ago, total sales volumes in the three months to May 2007 were up 4.4 per cent.
Analysis of monthly figures shows that the total sales volume increased by 0.4 per cent between April and May. Stronger growth was reported for all sectors except for textile, clothing and footwear retailers, where sales decreased by 2.5 per cent following a buoyant April, and food stores, which increased by 0.2 per cent, in line with growth for the previous two months. The largest increases occurred in household goods stores where sales increased by 2.9 per cent following a fall of 3.2 per cent in April and non-store retailing which rose by 2.6 per cent.
The unadjusted value of retail sales for the three months to May was 5.3 per cent higher than in the same period a year earlier. The average weekly value of sales in May was ￡4.9 billion, 4.6 per cent higher than in May 2006. Sales by food stores increased by 5.0 per cent over the year, compared with 3.4 per cent growth for non-food stores and 13.5 per cent for non-store retailing. Sales by clothing retailers increased by 2.9 per cent, the lowest for this sector since June 2006.
英国零售业
稳步增长
零售业销售量增长保持平稳，五月份月销售量增幅显著。
3－5月零售业销售量比此前3个月增长1.1%，比去年同期上升了0.9%
其中，食品业增长了0.4%，非食品业增长了1.5%。最高的非食品业月增长达3.5%，自2004年3月以来，增长最为强劲。而日用商品下降了1.5%，为2005年4月以来的新低。
与前年同期相比，3－5月三个月的总销售量高出了4.4%。
分析每月的数字显示：4、5月间，总销售量增长了0.4%,除了纺织、服装、鞋类零售外，其他商品增长强劲，这些商品比4月份公布的数字下降了2.5%；食品业增长了0.2%,与前两个月增长相吻合；最大的增长出现在日用百货，增长了2.9%, 4月份下降了3.2%；非商店零售增长了2.6%。
这三个月调整后的零售比今年前期增长了5.3%，5月份平均每周销售为49亿英镑，比上年同期增长4.6%，食品业增长5.0%，非食品增长3.4%，非商店零售增长13.5%。服装业增长2.9%，自2006年7月以来，长幅最低。