Sales volumes unexpectedly rise in September but are held back by drop in supermarket shopping

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Sales growth in shops in Great Britain slowed last month as an increase in purchases of technology was tempered by the largest monthly fall in spending at supermarkets this year.

Retail sales volumes grew by 0.3% in September, beating analyst expectations of a 0.3% drop, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). However, the monthly growth rate was still down on August’s 1%.