Food price rise behind hike in high street sales

HIGH street sales picked up last month thanks to sharp increases in food prices but shoppers remain cautious, according to research published today.

The British Retail Consortium said like-for-like sales rose 0.8 per cent in value, up from 0.5 per cent in September.

However, the growth was largely driven by higher food price inflation and non-food sales failed to make headway. Clothing sales fell for the first time in almost a year.

The lack of consumer confidence also continued to hit sales of "big ticket" items such as washing machines.