Commenting on today’s ONS Retail Sales figures, Euan Murray, relationship director and retail sector expert at Barclays Corporate Banking, Scotland, said:

“Whilst last month saw record temperatures across many parts of the UK, grocery spending cooled in August as the public chose dining out over evenings at home. Fortunately for UK retail, clothing sales helped turn up the heat – with summer holidays, back to school and return to office all fuelling spending over this period.

“Looking ahead, we can expect to see sales figures return to some kind of normality as the nation settles itself into the post-lockdown world. It has been great to see consumer confidence remaining strong, and now the whole sector will be hoping that supply issues won’t pose too much of a challenge for meeting demand in the coming months.”