Pubs and food shops enjoyed the benefit of higher consumer spending in August as non-food retailers missed out, according to new data from the BRC and Barclaycard.

The credit card business said total consumer spending rose 4.5 percent last month driven by a double-digit rise in the amount of money spent in pubs compared with August 2017.

Retail sales advanced 1.3 percent according to the British Retail Consortium's separate monthly monitor, which was the second weakest year-over-year growth since November.

The total advance was driven by new space and higher online sales, with like-for-like store sales inching 0.2 percent ahead. Non-food store sales missed by 2.2 percent, partly reflecting the structural shift online, with Internet sales of non-food items up by 7.5 percent.