Homeware sales returned to positive territory on the high street, while footfall growth slowed.
According to the latest BDO High Street Sales Tracker, total like-for-like (LFL) sales rose by 6.86% for the week ending 26 February 2023.
Homeware total LFLs inched up by +0.73% from a negative base of -8.42% for the same week last year, denoting the category’s first positive result for 2023.
Store homeware sales also rose by +9.06%, from a rebounding base of +461.83% for the same week last year, marking the category’s eighth consecutive positive result.
Total in-store LFL sales rose by +4.40%, from a base of +5,087.62% for the same week last year. The base figure appears inflated owing to coming off a significantly low base result in the equivalent week in 2021 when retail shops were closed due to COVID-19 restrictions. Total non-store LFL sales climbed by +7.16%, but from a weak base of -23.96% for the same week last year.
Commenting on the results, BDO said: “Total LFL sales slowed relatively this week as bricks-and-mortar venues saw somewhat sluggish results leading to the in-store channel’s lowest growth since the final week of November 2022. Nonetheless, total homewares edged into positive territory for the first time in 2023 as total non-store LFLs equally rose after two negative weeks back-to-back.
“The week started fairly cloudy if mild but ended slightly colder with frost and outbreaks of showers in parts of the country. The same week last year saw a mix of cooler temperatures with overcast, rainfall and snow in northern of the UK.”
Overall footfall slightly increased by +1.2% this week compared to the corresponding week last year, with the high street leading the way with a growth of +3.7%. On the other hand, shopping centre footfall dropped by -0.2%, its first fall into the red since the last week of September 2022. Footfall at retail parks also declined by -2.7%.
