British retailers are preparing for a Christmas boom.

British retailers are preparing for a potential Christmas boom, after positive sale growth was recorded recently.

Official figures released by the Office for National Statistics confirmed that, following a disappointing summer, there was a slight upturn in sales growth in September.

The total value of sales was up 3.4 per cent compared to year-on-year numbers, signalling that retailing is looking up in time for Christmas.

Commenting on the statistics, British Retail Consortium (BRC) director and economist Richard Lim said: "Times remain very tough, but retailers will be cautiously optimistic that this tentative boost builds during the crucial countdown to Christmas."

However, he admitted that customers are understandably still cautious due to continuing pressures on household budgets.

"But the signs are that they started to acclimatise to economic difficulties in September and made purchases which may have been postponed over the summer," Mr Lim added.

As well as looking to entice customers during the seasonal shopping sales, businesses will have to ensure that they are fully stocked, with products and gift bags to cater for the Christmas rush.

Another way in which retailers are preparing for the busy season is to employ more staff.

New figures from the BRC show that retail employment rose by 2.9 per cent in the third quarter of 2012, which represents the fastest growth in two years.

Some 68 per cent of retailers also suggested that they would continue to increase staffing levels in the run up to Christmas.

BRC director general Stephen Robertson explained that the strong retail jobs growth is another reason for optimism for the final quarter of 2012.

"There's a sense that things could be getting better. That offers hope as the crucial Christmas trading period gathers pace," he said.

However, in order to take advantage of this buoyant retail atmosphere, he urged the government to support stronger and more widespread growth.

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