Consumer spending is on the up in the UK with retail sales at their highest level since the recession hit in 2008.
Online shopping soared by 19% in the three months to September. This amounted to an average spend of £615m a week.
The internet now accounts for 10% of all retail spending, excluding fuel, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Additionally, there was a big increase household goods and furniture sales in September as well as clothing and shoes.
People still economised, however, as seen in the drop in food sales which have not returned to their peak just before the recession. Sales of tobacco, alcohol, and other beverages have continued to fall steadily since even before the 2008 financial meltdown.
Overall, retail sales for the third quarter of the year grew by 1.5%, the largest increase in more than five years.
The stirring of the housing market is behind the surge in the sale of household goods.
But the squeeze on family incomes remains. Average wages rose by only 0.7% while inflation is stuck at 2.7%. Consumers were given another slap in the face today when British Gas announced a whopping 9.2% increase in fuel and electricity.
