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Retailers in London enjoyed a spring boost as the capital coped with recession better than the rest of the country.
High street sales in London were 5.5% higher in February, March and April than they were in the same period last year, according to the British Retail Consortium.
This was far better than the 0.4% improvement in the UK as a whole as shoppers flocked to the West End and the new Westfield shopping centre in Shepherd's Bush.
Sales were helped by the weak pound which attracted visitors from Europe in particular, as well as from the US. Britons also chose the capital for their holidays rather than abroad.
It raised hopes that the UK will pull out recession earlier than was feared at the depth of the financial crisis a few months ago, with London leading the way.
"It was set of solid sales results for London with other parts of the UK playing catch-up," said Stephen Robertson, director general of the consortium.
"London's customers are proving more resilient to recession. Since the start of the year, London retail sales have consistently outperformed the country as a whole."
The warm weather last month and the late Easter - in April rather than March as it was last year - did not provide London with the same sales bounce as it did elsewhere in the country.
Sales in London in April were up 5.4% on a year ago, compared with a 5.2% rise in March. Outside London, sales were up 4.6% last month against a fall of 1.2% in March.
"Sunshine and Easter didn't give London sales growth the big boost they provided for the rest of the UK but that is because the London figures were already well up on other parts of the country," said Robertson.
There was an increase in sales of food, summer clothing, footwear and DIY kit last month but demand for furniture and other goods for the home remained slow.
John Lewis said last week the slump in sales at its Peter Jones store in Sloane Square - a favourite for City workers - and on Oxford Street was slowing.
Westfield, meanwhile, is defying the recession and has attracted 500,000 shoppers a week since opening a little more than six months ago.
Helen Dickinson, head of retail at KPMG, said: "Spending in the capital continues to hold up in large part due to overseas visitors continuing to take advantage of favourable exchange rates.
"So good news for retailers in London, who continue to outperform the rest of the UK. However, given the timing of Easter we might have expected a larger uplift in April.
"The summer also looks to be more challenging as the figures were strong from May to August in 2008 so will be much harder to beat."
Stores in the West End recently launched their biggest marketing campaign to attract more Brits to Oxford Bond and Regent streets.
Reader views (9)
My clients, based in and around London have increased sales but due to overseas trade as the pound is so weak. It's certainly not London people spending money in their shops or UK businesses buying retail from them.
However, although due to new marketing strategies by my clients, which have increased sales, their cash flows are still horrific.. Rents are sky high in London, not to mention business rates. Utility costs have increased more than the 5.5% increase in business sales.
I'm certainly not going to read to much into this report as they'd have us all running out thinking it's safe to blow cash again we don't have.
- Tm, London, 18/05/2009 23:27
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Not surprised most of the spending has been here in London,where our MPs are based.Always easier to spend other peoples money.
- David, london, 18/05/2009 16:34
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Sorry Mr. Price but are you serious? An increase on people buying IPods to take back home to mainland Europe is not an economic recovery. A few high streets, with a handful of retailers, saying sales are 5% up, in a metropolis the size of London is nothing. By the time you include those on incapacity and other benefits we have well over 3 million unemployed, repossessions running at a decade high, our economy shrinking at an alarming rate and a government that is printing money Zimbabwe style. What do I have to thank Mr. Brown for? The fact that all those buying Primark bikini's at £4 are keeping us all in jobs - get real. My poor kids will be paying for Mr Browns incompetence for years to come (and remember HE was chancellor when then, like now he encouraged everyone to spend to increase the size of the economy.)
- Ken, London, UK, 18/05/2009 16:27
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Gordon moron's poodle is back praising him !
- Joanna, london, 18/05/2009 16:02
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Must be all the MPs out spending before they are caught. I guess the feelgood factor that Brown and the rest of his Labour crooks will be out before long is helping us all
- Mike, London England, 18/05/2009 15:55
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Dave - not so many retailers have "gone bust" as you suggest. Those that have were weak failing companies anyway that were badly run (Woolworth's, Xavvi). I work in central London and we are very much up on the same period from 2008 which is what I have been saying since the start in January. The strength of the dollar and the Euro cannot be underestimated in assisting an ailing economy. Be careful not to believe everything that comes out of Robert Peston's mouth on the BBC - it's not all doom and gloom.
- Andrew, St. John's Wood, London, 18/05/2009 15:19
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Personal indebtedness remains high. Spending our way out of recession is a little like fighting a fire with petrol.
- Paul, Tonbridge, 18/05/2009 14:56
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Well done Gordon Brown, for going what you promised you would, and getting the UK on the road to economic recovery as quickly as possible. I bet you very little credit for it, though
- Keith Price, Luton, England, 18/05/2009 13:39
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careful - Its only because other retailers have gone bust. More will follow as rents are increased on the back of this "good news".
- Dave Davies, Basingstoke, 18/05/2009 13:04
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