Retailers have put the slight lift in sales during September down to a good response to the launch of autumn and winter ranges.

September's improvement follows the August survey which showed the weakest growth for nearly two years, according to the Confederation of British Industries (CBI) latest monthly Distributive Trades Survey (DTS).

Despite the slight improvement in September, underlying sales growth remains weak and well below the rates reported in the first half of this year. Asked to compare sales with a year ago, 41 per cent of respondents said sales were up, while 23 per cent said they were down.

Sales growth continues to hold up in sectors related to housing, and grocers also reported growth.

Retailers are expecting a further modest pick-up in growth during October, as cooler and drier weather is expected to boost autumn ranges. Expectations still remain lower than for early 2002 though.

Alastair Eperon, chairman of the CBI's DTS panel, said: 'The September rally in sales growth is heartening, but it doesn't reflect the underlying slowdown experienced by many retailers. The expectations of further modest growth in October are significantly lower than what was achieved at the beginning of this year. Consumers are either being careful with their money, or they have less to spend.' Confirming this, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) says there was a 1.17 per cent increase in sales during September, compared to August. Prices were said to be up by 1.02 per cent in September when compared to the previous year.

The BRC's director general Bill Moyles said: 'Despite the increased pressure coming from the retail cost base, the sector's efficiency combined with intense competition continues to insulate the consumer from the inflationary elements they may be experiencing elsewhere. When it comes to the high street, both consumers and the Bank of England will find nothing troubling in these figures.' In the food market, prices were up marginally in September, by 0.08 per cent, bringing the cost of food up 1.94 per cent on the previous year.