August saw a rise in UK retail sales, driven by consumer spending on food and clothing.

After July's terrible weather kept customers away from the high street, retail sales recovered in August, helped by spending on food and apparel.

Retail sales increased 0.4% in August, according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), after declining 1.1% in July (reduced from a decline of 1.2%).

The result fell just short of City expectations for a 0.5% increase.

According to the deputy director for surveys and economic indicators at the ONS, "Retail recovered a little from the large fall seen in July, driven by a partial bounce back in food and a strong month for clothing, though sales overall remain subdued."

Retail sales increased by 0.3% in the three months leading up to August when compared to the prior three months.

Following a 2.6% decline in July when supermarkets indicated that the rainy weather had a negative impact on clothes sales and supermarket food sales, food store sales volumes increased by 1.2% in August.

Sales volumes at non-food retailers increased by 0.6% in August, rebounding after a 1.2% decline in July as bad weather caused fewer people to venture out.

Sales volumes in non-store retailing (mostly online merchants) decreased by 1.3% in August after increasing by 1.9% in July as the result of favourable weather and a number of promotions.

Online retail sales as a proportion of total retail sales decreased from 27.4% in July to 26.9% in August.

August saw a 1.2% decline in the volume of car fuel sold, according to merchants, who attribute the decline to a significant rise in the cost of petrol and diesel.

(Sources: investing.com, proactiveinvestors.co.uk)