It was a so-so September for retail sales as end of summer sales saw people spending – but only in some sectors. Phil Mullis, Partner and Head of Retail and Wholesale at leading accountancy firm, Wilkins Kennedy, said: “The summer sales were in full swing and it did entice people into shopping a bit more. “There has been some steady growth in retail sales since September 2017 and year on year growth remains steady. This is in spite of some of the challenges facing the retail sector, including falls in footfall combined with an anticipated business rate increase of £186m from April 2019.  However, the stretched customer will welcome a fall in inflation from 2.7% in August to 2.4% in September, which may also delay a further rise in the Bank interest rate.”