UK retailers see sales rise 0.2% last month, better than predicted

London: UK mid-sized retailers saw their sales rise 0.2 per cent year-on-year in January, according to BDO LLP's High Street Sales Tracker.

The index, which covers retailers with sales between £5 million and £500 million, saw non-fashion sales increase 2.4 per cent, while fashion sales fell 0.8 per cent.

"Overall, these figures are better than expected," BDO's head of retail and wholesale, Don Williams, said in an e-mailed statement.

"Behind the numbers we are seeing an increasing polarisation in the performance of high street retailers. The chasm between the high performers and the strugglers is widening every month."

A separate survey by PriceWaterhouseCoopers found UK households reduced their unsecured borrowing by an average £355 during 2011. It now stands at £8,000 per household.