According to the Distributive Trades Survey, produced by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), high street leather goods and footwear sales in the UK are continuing to show a steady improvement.

Retailers enjoyed a third consecutive month of year-on-year growth in sales volumes in February as 43% of retailers reported higher sales compared with the year ago period, while 24% reported a decline.

A balance of 67% said volumes of footwear and leather goods were up year-on-year, while 27% reported increased clothing sales compared with February 2005.

The sustained growth in sales volumes also prompted a balance of 12% of retailers to place more orders with suppliers, whilst a balance of 16% said average selling prices had improved.

The survey covered 20,000 outlets employing 40% of retail jobs in the UK and drawing responses from 154 businesses.