Food Sales Slow Down, Online Shopping Grows
- Retail sales increased by 0.4% in February 2019
- Three-month growth at 0.7%
- Non-store retailing and fuel saw strong growth
- Year-on-year growth of 4%
- Household goods stores declined by 1.3%
- Monthly fall in food stores at 1.5%
- Online sales fell to 17.6%
- Year-on-year increase of 9.4% for online shopping
Retail sales experienced a slight increase of 0.4% in February 2019 compared to January 2019, with non-store retailing and fuel contributing significantly to the growth. Over the past three months, there was a 0.7% rise in quantity bought. Year-on-year, sales increased by 4%. However, household goods stores saw a decline of 1.3%, while food store sales dropped by 1.5% due to the end of January’s promotions. Online shopping made up 17.6% of all retailing, up 9.4% from February 2018. Rhian Murphy, head of retail sales at ONS, noted that overall growth was driven by fuel and online shopping.
Factuality Level: 8
Factuality Justification: The article provides accurate information about retail sales figures, including specific percentages and contextual details such as the reasons for the decline in food store sales. It also includes a quote from an expert source to support its claims.
Noise Level: 3
Noise Justification: The article provides relevant information about retail sales trends and statistics, but it lacks a deeper analysis or exploration of underlying factors and potential consequences.
Financial Relevance: Yes
Financial Markets Impacted: Retail sector
Financial Rating Justification: The article discusses changes in retail sales, which can impact companies within the retail industry and potentially affect their stock prices and financial performance.
Presence Of Extreme Event: No
Nature Of Extreme Event: No
Impact Rating Of The Extreme Event: No
Extreme Rating Justification: No extreme event mentioned in the text.
www.retailsector.co.uk