You asked
Please could I request, pursuant to the FOI Act, for the following:
a) The percentage of retail sales in London that is foreign (vs local)?
ai) A breakdown by region or nationality would also be welcome.
b) Percentage of high end homes (any classification of what constitutes high end should be fine) in London that are sold to foreigners.
We said
a) The percentage of retail sales in London that is foreign (vs local)?
The ONS Retail Sales Inquiry collects data from approximately 5000 businesses in Great Britain (GB) on a monthly basis. We ask businesses to provide turnover data which we then classify according to store type, for example, food stores, clothing stores etc. We do not collect data based on a regional breakdown, ie London. Also we do not collect information on who the products are sold to, ie local or foreign consumers. We are therefore unable to provide any response based on the percentage of retail sales in London that is foreign vs local.
b) A breakdown by region or nationality would also be welcome.
Please see response above - we are unable to provide this information as we do not collect these data.
c) Percentage of high end homes (any classification of what constitutes high end should be fine) in London that are sold to foreigners.
The House Price Index does not collect or hold any information regarding the nationality of those purchasing property.