Cold snap helps London retailers

London's retailers delivered another stunning rise in underlying sales in November, as the cold weather heated up fashion sales.

But shops outside the capital struggled again, reinforcing the increasingly widely held view of a two-tier retail economy.

Retailers in the West End enjoyed a 7.6 per cent uplift in like-for-like sales last month, which was helped by New West End Company (NWEC) holding its annual car-free shopping promotion on Oxford Street and Regent Street on 27 November. But sales at shops in the rest of the UK rose by a lacklustre 0.7 per cent last month, according to the retail trackers Springboard.

Jace Tyrrell, of NWEC, representing retailers in the West End, said: "Retailers are reporting that the cold snap ahead of the snow boosted fashion sales. Chilly shoppers stocked up on outerwear."