Retail sales in the UK experienced a return to growth in September with a 1.3% total uplift, according to the British Retail Consortium.

The latest data from the British Retail Consortium’s Retail Sales Monitor identified September as the strongest performing month in food and grocery growth since 2013, as the non-food, food and grocery sector reached 1.6% growth between July and September 2016, with non-food accounting for just 0.5%.

This performance makes this latest three-month period the most buoyant in the food and grocery sector for nearly three years.

Joanne Denney-Finch, chief executive, IGD said: “In encouraging news for food and grocery companies, the growth seen through the summer months continued into September. Shoppers are feeling generally upbeat, with three quarters (76%) expecting their personal financial situation either to improve or stay the same in the coming year, up from 69% in August.

“Although the sales growth remains modest, grocery retailers and manufacturers have reason to feel optimistic as Halloween, Bonfire Night and Christmas come on to the horizon.”