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Press Release

ONS retail data broadly in line with BRC

17 June 2010

Reacting to the latest retail sales figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), published today (Thursday), the British Retail Consortium (BRC) said the results paint broadly the same picture as the BRC's findings - published last week.

British Retail Consortium director general Stephen Robertson said: "The official figures paint a similar picture to our own findings. Sales revived in May as summer weather arrived and distortions caused by the timing of Easter ended. The BRC Retail Sales Monitor showed food sales growth returned to more normal levels.

"The sunnier second half of May, combined with discounts and promotions, encouraged spending on clothing, footwear, gardening and outdoor DIY.

"The World Cup helped sales of televisions, though this was largely discount-driven. With the tournament in full swing, there should be further gains for other football merchandise, such as flags and replica kits, which will show up in the June figures.

"May's ONS sales figures are currently a bit higher than the BRC's. But the ONS data has been significantly revised downwards for every month this year. We expect the same to happen to these."



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British Retail Consortium

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