Retailers have been urged to make the most of promotional labels and other tactics to increase purchasing after new figures revealed that high street sales volumes growth remained sluggish in May 2011.

The CBI's latest quarterly Distributive Trades survey showed that annual growth increased by 18 per cent in the fortnight to May 16th, following on from muted statistics in the previous three months.

Some 63 per cent of retailers said they had been forced to increase prices since last year to deal with increasing overheads and the cost of raw materials.

Although experts said they expect similar results in June, the CBI pointed out that it is much better than witnessing a fall in sales growth volume.

Spokesperson Judith McKenna explained that family spending power is at a very low level.

"Consumers will be focusing on getting value for every one of their hard-earned pounds, so it's crucial that retailers make their prices as competitive as possible," she added.

This comes after a recent poll by moneysupermarket.com found that 22 per cent of Britons can no longer make ends meet.

Denny Bros Ltd, 26 May 2011