UK retail sales rise by 1.3% in Nov as Black Friday deals boost volumes

(Sharecast News) - UK retail sales volumes rose by 1.3% in November compared with the prior month, boosted by heavily discounted Black Friday deals, according to official data published on Friday. The change followed zero growth in October, which was revised from a fall of 0.3%, said the Office for National Statistics.

"Retail sales grew strongly in November as heavy Black Friday discounting encouraged shoppers to spend. However, with the three-month trend continuing to fall and overall sales still below pre-pandemic levels, it's still a challenging time for retailers," said Darren Morgan, the ONS director of economic statistics.

"In the latest month, household goods retailers, clothing shops and department stores all reported robust sales, with computer stores, sports equipment, toy shops and cosmetics stores particularly benefitting from the impact of their Black Friday promotions."

"Supermarket sales ticked up a little, but it was specialist food and drink stores that had a really strong November due to customers stocking up early for Christmas and spending more than we have traditionally seen at this time of year."

Reporting by Frank Prenesti for Sharecast.com