Solid demand for leisure and gift boosts the sector, while homewares is kept afloat by cookware and home accessories.
BDO Stoy Hayward's 'High Street Sales Tracker' for the week ending September 6 revealed that non-fashion sales were up 5.8%, with growth reported by retailers for the second consecutive week.

Sales were driven by solid demand for leisure, gifting and some outdoor related products, while a late surge in back to school demand also provided a "short-term boost" in some areas, such as stationary and lunchboxes.

Homewares broke its three-week winning run, dropping below last year's levels. However, according to BDO, demand in many categories held up reasonably well, with cookware and home accessories putting in a strong performance.

Total sales were up 0.8%, with, said BDO, mid-market retailers experiencing a "reasonably good week".

Non-store sales saw continued growth, up 46.8%, although still slightly down on last week's figures.