Homeware sales fell on the high street once again, while overall sales showed a slight uptick during January.

According to the latest BDO High Street Sales Tracker, total like-for-like (LFL) sales rose by 1.19% for the week ending 14 January 2024.

Homeware total LFLs sank by -12.02% from an already negative base of -1.83% for the same week last year, indicative of the category’s third consecutive negative result and the fifth in the last 10 weeks.

Store sales for homeware fell by -6.54% from a base of +3.20% for the same week last year, marking the category’s third consecutive negative result and the fourth in the last 10 weeks.

Total in-store LFL sales declined by -2.03% from a base of +19.58% for the same week last year. Total non-store LFL sales rose +2.76% from a good base of +4.99% for the same week last year.

Commenting on the results, BDO said: “Positive non-store sales results helped propel total LFL sales this week as in-store sales slipped into negative territory.

“This week saw Arctic winds sweep across the UK, bringing very cold temperatures that reached below 0°C and resulted in snow and ice in some parts of the UK. The weather was warmer but with clouds and intermittent showers during the same week last year.”

Overall footfall declined by -1.7% compared to the same week last year. Footfall decreased across board with high streets recording a drop of -2.4%, while shopping centres and retails saw a decline of -1.9% and -0.1% respectively.