LONDON, Oct. 17 (UPI) -- Retail volume in Britain climbed in September, beating expectations slightly, the Office for National Statistics said Thursday.
ONS said retail volumes rose 2.2 percent from September 2012. Economists had expected a gain of 2.1 percent.
Retail also rose compared to August, climbing 0.6 percent.
ONS also selects out a rolling average using three-month time periods. In September, the three month average showed gains for the seventh consecutive month, an indication that the gains have become an established trend, ONS said.
Retail sales rose 1.5 in the third quarter from the second, the largest quarter-on-quarter rise since March 2008 "when the economy as a whole was at its peak, before the economic downturn," ONS said.
Store receipts also rose, climbing 3.2 percent compared to September 2012 and 0.5 percent compared to August 2013.
