By bizn_fun 
“Although food stores saw very little growth, good weather in July and August boosted sales of clothing, while online retailing also did well.”
The monthly figure for the highest growth is measured against a benchmark for sales from 2023.
Retail sales volume are a measure of the quantity of goods sold during a certain period.
Non-store retailers – primarily online shops – saw a 3.8% rise in sales in the same period.
Tech sales grew strongly in September, the same month the iPhone 17 launched.
Within non-store retailing, online jewellers reported strong demand for gold.
The amount spent online between July and September was 3.5% higher than the previous quarter and 5% higher than the same period last year.
ONS statistics are used in deciding government policy, which affects millions, and are also used by the Bank of England to make key financial decisions, such as setting interest rates.
But a recent review of the ONS was highly critical of the agency, calling into question the quality of the economic data it produces.
The ONS has struggled, as have many statistical bodies, with tight budgets and with the problem of getting people to fill in the questionnaires needed for their data.