VAN sales increased year-on-year in October with the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders attributing the rise to the strength of the UK economy in general but particularly to a steady growth in home delivery work.

Sales of vans under 1.8-tonnes increased 3.36% to 6,257 taking sector sales this year to 67,136 with market leaders Ford and Vauxhall both seeing sales down on October last year as Citroen, Peugeot and Renault significantly increased business.

In the 1.8-3.5-tonne category van sales rose 5.57% last month to 12,348 taking sector sales for the year to 129,815. While many of the smaller van manufacturers increased sales year-on-year one of the best sales performances came from Iveco which reported business up from 472 units a year ago to 704 units last month.