High street sales showed steady if unspectacular progress during February, the British Retail Consortium said in a monthly survey yesterday.

During one of the quieter periods in the retail calendar, total sales grew 5.3 per cent with the figure on a like-for-like basis up 2.2 per cent on last year. That compared with a total sales rise of 6.8 per cent in January.

Despite the growth, the report highlighted a number of areas where retailers struggled for business.

In particular, sales were mixed in clothing, with the cold weather blamed for a slow take-up of spring ranges.

Those selling furniture and floor coverings also found the going tough while there was a slight fall back in demand for electrical and electronic goods.

BRC spokesman David Southwell said: "Retailers expect February to be one of the slowest points on the retail calendar so no one will be surprised by the steady, rather than spectacular, sales seen in stores last month."

He added that consumer sentiment overall remained weak with retailers likely to be nervous ahead of next week's Budget.