Homeware sales fell on the high street, while overall sales followed in the same trend at the end of December.

According to the latest BDO High Street Sales Tracker, total like-for-like (LFL) sales fell by 3.58% for the week ending 31 December 2023.

Homeware total LFLs sank by -13.87 from an already negative base of -13.36% for the same week last year, marking the category’s third negative result in the last ten weeks and its thirty-first for 2023.

Store sales for homeware dropped by -6.79% from a base of -10.91% for the same week last year, indicative of the category’s second negative result in the last ten weeks and its thirteenth for 2023.

Total in-store LFL sales grew by +1.78% from a strong base of +20.45% for the same week last year. Total non-store LFL sales declined by -5.88% from a positive base of +6.03% for the same week last year.

Commenting on the results, BDO said: “In a week that began on Christmas Day and ended on New Year’s Eve, total LFL sales was dragged down by weak online sales despite the modest growth seen in-store. Lifestyle was the only category that saw a positive outcome.

“The weather this week was mostly cloudy with windy with occasional showers and longer spells of rain in some parts of the country. The same week last year saw grey and cloudy conditions with fog and light showers.”

Overall footfall declined by -6.3% with steep declines in footfall across all destinations. Retail parks saw the greatest fall (-7.6%), followed by shopping centres (-7.3%). High street footfall declined by -5.2%.