NEW YORK (Top40 Charts) - Duffy's Rockferry was the top-selling album in the UK in 2008 with sales of more than 1.68 million copies according to the UK-based Official Charts Company.
Take That's The Circus ranked second with sales of more than 1.44 million copies, and rounding out the Top 5 were Kings Of Leon's Only By The Night,
Leona Lewis'
Spirit and Coldplay's Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends.
R&B artist Alexandra Burke scored the top-selling UK single of 2008 with her cover of "Hallelujah" selling 888,000 copies.
The X Factor finalists' version of Hero was the year's second biggest-selling single, shifting 751,000 copies.
The music business is struggling to reverse a steep decline in sales in recent years, blamed mainly on online music piracy and growing competition from other forms of entertainment, notably video games.
In contrast, the UK singles market grew by around 30 percent boosted by digital downloads.
OCC managing director Martin Talbot said: "Duffy and Alexandra Burke have been the biggest new arrivals on the British music scene over the past year, bar none.
But the biggest selling singles and albums of the year also show that talent, both new and old, can make an impact, if the music is right.
Besides the obvious impact of the X Factor artists, including Burke, Leona Lewis and this year's finalists, Duffy, Katy Perry, Sam Sparro and Scouting For Girls all scored big to show that new talent can make an impact."
TOP ALBUMS OF 2008
1. Rockferry - Duffy
2. The Circus - Take That
3. Only By The Night - Kings of Leon
4. Spirit - Leona Lewis
5. Viva La Vida... - Coldplay
6. Good Girl Gone Bad - Rihanna
7. Day & Age - Killers
8. Out of Control - Girls Aloud
9. Funhouse - Pink
10. Scouting For Girls - Scouting For Girls
TOP SINGLES OF 2008
1. Hallelujah - Alexandra Burke
2. Hero - X Factor finalists
3. Mercy - Duffy
4. I Kissed A Girl - Katy Perry
5. Rockstar - Nickelback
6. American Boy - Estelle/ Kanye West
7. Sex on Fire - Kings of Leon
8. Now You're Gone - Basshunter
9. 4 Minutes - Madonna/ Justin Timberlake
10. Black & Gold - Sam Sparro
