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		</div><p><a href="http://londonglossy.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/retail-sales-bounce-back-in-january.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full" title="Shoppers kept indoors by the December snow helped boost sales in January, retail figures show" src="http://londonglossy.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/min-retail-sales-bounce-back-in-january.jpg" alt="Shoppers kept indoors by the December snow helped boost sales in January, retail figures show"/></a></p>
<p>Shoppers eager to hit the high street after being trapped at home by the snow helped retail sales bounce back in January, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) has said.</p>
<p>A rush to beat the VAT hike on January 4 and the allure of clearance sales boosted non-food sales at the start of the month, but they eased back as consumer caution took hold, said the BRC.</p>
<p>Like-for-like retail sales were up 2.3% year-on-year in January, the BRC said, the strongest growth since March last year and an improvement on the 0.3% year-on-year decline seen in snow-struck December.</p>
<p>UK retailers had a torrid festive season as Arctic conditions gripped the country, with big players such as Next and HMV reporting a slump in sales.</p>
<p>But the BRC&#8217;s January retail sales monitor does not give a complete picture as it compares with a feeble, snow-hit performance last year.</p>
<p>Stephen Robertson, BRC director general, said: &#8220;Growth this January was driven by a relatively short but strong burst of non-food buying early in the month. Clearance discounts and a last chance to beat the VAT rise got people buying things like furniture and electricals in the first few days.&#8221;</p>
<p>He went on: &#8220;Later in the month sales of non-food goods slowed, particularly for bigger items, as the reality of worries about jobs and personal finances returned to customers&#8217; minds.&#8221;</p>
<p>The BRC data comes a few weeks after official figures revealed a weak services sector, which includes retail, led the economy into an unexpected decline in the final quarter of 2010.</p>
<p>Mr Robertson said improving consumer confidence was essential for turning round the economy.</p>
<p>He said: &#8220;A range of pressures is bearing down on customers. As it considers the Budget, the Government must not add any more.&#8221;</p>
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