An increase in demand for shipping workers means that the retail sector could be in for a bumper Christmas, according to Steve Wyeth, director at sdw Recruitment.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics show that the seasonally adjusted value of retail sales in July 2010 rose by 2.8% compared with July last year, while today’s Financial Times reports that there has been a sharp rise in the use of shipping containers.

Wyeth told Recruiter: “In the last three to five months, there has been a big surge in shipping companies recruiting. Even the companies that own the shipping containers are beginning to recruit again after 18 months of not recruiting.

“This is down to consumer confidence. Retail will benefit. It is Christmas goods that are being moved right now to warehouses. It looks like retail will have a much better Christmas than they have had in the past two years. The economy is on up. It is a good signal. It looks like things are moving in the right direction.”