The British Independent Retailers Association has commented on January's Retail Sales Monitor (RSM) results as being 'better than expected'.

BIRA, which works with over 6,000 independent businesses of all sizes across the UK, also said that comparisons with last years were difficult due to the impact of Covid.

The BRC-KPMG Retail Sales Monitor for January 2023, revealed:

• UK Total retail sales increased by 4.2% in January, against an increase of 11.9% in January 2022. This is below the 3-month average growth of 5.2% and above the 12-month average growth of 2.5%.
• UK Like-for-like retail sales increased 3.9% on a  basis from January 2022, when they had increased by 8.1%. This was below the 3-month average growth of 4.9% and above the 12-month average growth of 1.5%.
• Food sales increased 8.0% on a Total basis and 7.9% on a Like-for-like basis over the three months to January. This is above the 12-month Total average growth of 3.5%. For the month of January, Food was in growth year-on-year.
• Non-Food sales increased 2.9% on a Total basis and 2.5% on a like-for-like basis over the three-months to January. This is above the 12-month Total average growth of 1.6%. For the month of January, Non-Food was in growth year-on-year.

BIRA CEO Andrew Goodacre (pictured) said: "At first sight it looks as if January has been better than expected. Comparisons with last year are difficult due to the impact of Covid last year.

"However, sales growth is below inflation, and retailers margins are being squeezed as they strive to offer even better value to entice customers. We have a Spring Budget in March and that must be the platform for improving consumer confidence and economic growth."