After two consecutive months of declines, sales in British Columbia increased 1.0% as September retail sales were announced today. “This is a good news story for an industry that is often one of the first to be impacted by economic changes” says Mark Startup, President & CEO of Retail BC.

There has been a lot of news lately on the impact of the economic downturn on the retail industry itself. Startup notes that “in the face of these challenging economic times and waning consumer confidence, retailers are concentrating on the fundamentals of plan execution and excellence in customer service in order to attract new customers and keep the customers they already have.”

“This is a real opportunity for the retail cream to rise to the top, and for those astute and savvy business owners to strengthen their place within the market” continued Startup, whose association supports the success of BC’s retailers.

With recent reports on reduced consumer confidence in the lead up to the busiest shopping season, public sentiment is not as strong as it was last year. However other factors including the low unemployment rate, increased discretionary spending due to personal tax cuts and lower gasoline costs, and competitive pricing are all positive contributors to BC’s retail industry.

With that in mind, as well as strong retail sales numbers for September, Startup notes that “consumers are still spending, and people will be out shopping for the holiday season; it is up to the retailers to give their customers a compelling reason to shop in their store.”

Retail BC is the voice of over 3,000 retail companies within British Columbia. BC’s retail industry generates over $56 billion in sales and employs over 280,000 British Columbians.