Central London shops ended 2005 on a high, as accelerated Christmas sales gave the capital its second straight month of growth following four months of declines, new figures show.
Retailers recorded takings 5.7% higher on a like-for-like basis than in December 2004, according to the London Retail Consortium's (LRC) latest data.
A lacklustre Christmas in 2004, however, offers a weak comparison, the LRC warned, as shop sales fell 2.6% during the period.
Nevertheless, shop owners in the capital helped fend off consumer apathy with heightened promotions, early clearance sales and heavy discounting. Cold weather also helped drive shoppers into the stores.
As a result, London sales outperformed the UK as a whole in December for the second month in a row.
"The various initiatives in the capital to drive footfall and improve performance, including the closure of Oxford Street to traffic on one of the key Christmas trading days, appear to have had some impact," said Helen Dickinson, head of retail at KPMG.
Separate year-end totals from analysts FootFall show that London retailers' creativity in the run-up to Christmas helped drive up shopper numbers by 2.5% over December 2004, while the UK as a whole saw a decrease of 3.6%.
Sales growth in the capital was largely driven by strong performances of food, clothing and new technology electricals, such as mp3 players and the popular Xbox 360 game console.
