UK retail sales soar in Sept

LONDON: Retail sales in Britain surged in September, with the annual growth rate hitting the highest level for three years, official data showed on Thursday. On a 12-month basis, retail sales grew by 6.3% in September 2007, compared with the same month the previous year, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

That marked the strongest growth rate since September 2004. The growth came mostly from non-food stores, with clothing and household good shops seeing particularly strong increases. On a monthly basis, British retail sales rose by 0.6% in September from August, the ONS added.