Clothes sales trump food in the UK

British consumers have reduced the amount of food they buy while spending more money on clothing, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Spending for the average family is still less than it was before the recession hit.  The average household has cut its spending by £35 each week.

Not only are food and drink sales down, but so are meals out in a café, restaurant or pub.

Spending on clothing and shoes seems to have continued without interruption, with scarcely a cut-back despite the recession.  Average household spending was £9.60 more on clothes and footwear a week than it was in 2007.

Andy Clarke, the head of Asda, said that one in four shoppers using cash were putting items on the side when they got to the till, because they realised they didn't have enough money to pay for all their food. He said many found the experience "mortifying".

Retail analysts urged caution in interpreting the figures, however, as the ONS figures removed the effect of inflation.  One consultancy said that while clothing sales are depressed, people are trading up to better clothes, buying statement pieces.

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