Online shopping booms in the U.K.

Online shopping accounted for 6% of all retail sales in the U.K. in January, the trade association Interactive Media in Retail Group reports. January e-retail sales reached £999.85 million, up 5% over December, the group reports. A year ago, online sales in January fell 17% from their December levels.

All retail sales fell 44% from December to January, according to the U.K.’s Office for National Statistics.

The new IMRG Index reports that online sales grew 130% last year over 2001, which itself represented 70% growth over 2000.

Internet sales were strong across a broad range of products and services, the IRMG reported. Stuart Paver, managing director of shoe-shop.com told IMRG: "The last week in January was shoe-shop.com`s busiest week ever by turnover and pairage, with us shipping over 2,000 pairs for the first time. January is traditionally a slow time for retailers, so it looks like 2003 is set to be a vintage year in the history of e-retailing."

81 retailers provide sales data to the Interactive Media in Retail Group Index.