UK retail sales were up 0.7% on a like-for-like basis this September, compared to the same month last year, when they increased 1.5% on 2011.
The BRC-KPMG September retail sales monitor will send the jitters among retailers as it reports on the "cautious growth ahead of Christmas". It adds that total retail sales were up 2.4% against a 3.4% increase in September 2012.

Head of retail at KPMG, David McCorquodale, said: "These figures are a reality check and will make retailers nervous as we enter the run-up to Christmas. The stark fact is the retail recovery remains fragile and retailers, who are generally carrying less stock than in prior years, will need to manage promotional activity carefully to maintain margins."

In some individual categories, things were not quite as negative. Like-for-like sales in furniture and flooring were down, yet total figures for that sector remained encouraging. Some retailers saw increased demand for fitted furniture. The mild weather was favourable for garden centres in September, and the cooler mid-to-end of the month was good for DIY.

Meanwhile, home accessories was the second-best performing category, as it was in August. Lighting continued to enjoy good demand, there was a strong start to gift sections and cooking accessories experienced a boost as well.

Online sales of non-food products in the UK grew 13.4% in September on a year earlier, and over the past three months, online contributed a third of the total non-food retail growth.

BRC director general, Helen Dickinson, added: "The BRC-KPMG data shows that while total retail sales have continued to grow this month, it has been the weakest growth so far this year. Continued improvement in the UK housing market is beginning to make a difference in the retail sector, shown by a strong performance in home accessories."