Mubasher: Retail sales in the UK remained at a modest growth rate of 0.6% during the three months period ended last September, compared with the previous three months ended June, according to official data.
Non-food stores saw a drop over the rolling three-month period, as consumers seemed to step back their spending on non-essential items.
Meanwhile, in September alone, UK retailers saw no change in their sales, after enduring a decline of 0.3% in August, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said on Thursday.
A meagre growth in food and non-food sales was muted by drops in non-store and fuel retailing.
On an annualised basis, UK retail sales rose by 3.1% in September, with all sector expanding, except for department stores and household goods.
Last month, sales at online retailing business accounted for 19.1% of total retailing, compared with 19.5% in August.
By 8:44 am GMT, the GBP/USD pair inched down by 0.07% to $1.2788, while the EUR/GBP pair rose by 0.22% to GBP 0.8661.