"Many retailers have invested a lot in making their websites easier to use across devices and also increasing confidence in their online security... "
- New BRC director general Helen Dickinson
The U.K. retail sales increased at a slower pace in December, due to the strong growth in online shopping, adding to fears that the economy contracted in the final quarter of last year. The report made by the British Retail Consortium's, showed that like-for-like sales, which exclude new store openings, rose 0.3% last month, down from 0.4% in the month earlier. At the same time the growth in total sales, which includes sales at stores that have opened in the past 12 months, slowed to 1.5% on the year in December, compared to a 1.8% gain in the previous month. Excluding a 17.8% jump in online non-food sales, total sales would have dropped. As the retail sales provide an indication of overall consumer spending in the country, there are little sign that things would improve in 2013, including the economy in general.
"Many retailers have invested a lot in making their websites easier to use across devices and also increasing confidence in their online security... the surging popularity of tablets and smartphones giving even better access is a major factor," said new BRC director general Helen Dickinson.
"For the more established retailers, it seems that much of the growth is now coming from online orders, while shop sales are stagnant at best," she added.
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