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Key Points

• The quantity bought in the retail industry in September 2014 was estimated to have decreased by 0.3% compared with August 2014. However, it increased by 2.7% compared with September 2013 making this the 18th consecutive month of year-on-year growth. This is the longest period of sustained year-on-year growth since May 2008, when there were 31 periods of growth.
• The underlying pattern continues to show growth with the rolling three-month on three-month growth rate increasing by 0.3%. However, this was the slowest growth seen in this measure throughout 2014.
• Textile, clothing and footwear sales provided the greatest source of down wards pressure, decreasing by 7.8% compared with August 2014, and by 4.1% compared with September 2013. Feedback from retailers suggested the fall was a result of unseasonably warm weather meaning consumers have delayed purchases of autumn and winter clothing.
• In September 2014, the amount spent in the retail industry decreased by 0.6% compared with August 2014. However, it increased by 1.3% compared with September 2013. Non-seasonally adjusted data show that the average weekly spend in the retail industry in September 2014 was £6.9 billion compared with £6.8 billion in September 2013 and £6.9 billion in August 2014.
• Average store prices (including petrol stations) fell by 1.4% in September 2014 compared with September 2013. This was the largest fall since July 2009. The largest contribution to this fall came from petrol stations, down by 5.4%. Prices at food stores fell by 0.3%, the largest fall since December 2004 when it also fell by 0.3%.
• The proportion of online sales were unchanged in September 2014 compared with August 2014 at 11.4%. Online sales increased by 10.1% compared with September 2013.
• Revisions to this period were primarily caused by re-referencing the indices to 2011 =100 to align with the National Accounts estimates. There were also revisions where late data was incorporated. More information on revisions can be found in the background notes.

Get all the tables for this publication in the data section of this publication.