The thrill of a deal on Black Friday appears to have boosted the monthly sales of retailers across the country, according to a new report.

The most recent figures, published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), show that retails sales were up 1.6 per cent in November compared to the year previous.

As largely expected, a surge in the sales of electrical goods boosted November’s overall numbers, jumping by 8.6 per cent.

Food sales were down marginally, falling 0.1 per cent compared to last year’s figures.

But sales in non-food, clothing, and footwear were all up, marking a welcome rise for retailers after a torrid October.

Rhian Murphy, of the ONS, said: “Underlying retail sales growth remained reasonably strong in the last few months. Household goods stores had a good November, with a number of businesses saying that Black Friday promotions boosted sales.”

Commenting on the figures, Alex Marsh, managing director of Close Brothers Retail Finance, said: “The final run up to Christmas may prove more difficult than usual for retailers as they battle low consumer confidence amid increasing inflation and a squeeze on wages.”

Samuel Tombs, chief UK economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, added: “The surge in retail sales in November does not signal broader consumer strength.”