Rugby World Cup gives high street big boost

Sales in the month grew 6.5% from the same month of 2014, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimated.

There was good news for the high street after retail sales surged in September, boosted by the late August bank holiday weekend and beer sales related to the Rugby World Cup.

The strong growth in sales volumes was supported by falling prices, with the measure of inflation used in the data showing store prices were down by 3.6 per cent on the year, the joint-biggest fall since the series began in 1988.

Retail sales jumped last month as rugby fans took to the stores to enjoy the deals and offers available around the UK-hosted world cup.

Feedback from food stores suggested that a few of the growth can be attributed to the impact of the tournament. But the ONS said that the effect of the bank holiday had been removed by seasonal adjustment.

Overall sales at motor vehicle and parts dealers rose 2%.

It remains to be seen whether England’s early exit, at the pool stage, will dent sales in October.

Food and drink sales rose 2.3 per cent compared to August – the biggest rise since April past year – helped by increased demand during the Rugby World Cup, according to the ONS.

The pound was trading at 0.7298 against the euro, 185.45 against the yen, 1.4872 against the franc and 1.5502 against the greenback around 4:32 am ET.

“With strong fundamentals still in place, we are optimistic that the consumer recovery will maintain a strong pace over the rest of the year”, Ruth Miller, United Kingdom economist at Capital Economics said.

He also said that retailers will be hoping that the strong September retail sales performance is the harbinger of a strong Christmas season.