Homeware sales rose on the high street, while overall sales were down for a fourth straight week.

According to the latest BDO High Street Sales Tracker, total like-for-like (LFL) sales fell by 3.49% for the week ending 3 December 2023.

Homeware total LFLs grew by +2.71% but failed to offset a negative base of -5.55% for the same week last year, signifying the category’s twentieth positive result so far in 2023.

Store sales for homeware climbed by +6.44% from a base of -0.76% for the same week last year, marking the category’s seventh consecutive positive result and its thirty-eighth for 2023.

Total in-store LFL sales declined by -3.26% from a positive base of +5.76% for the same week last year. Total non-store LFL sales dropped by -4.80% from a good base of +4.17% for the same week last year.

Commenting on the results, BDO said: “This week, and the same week last year both included the Cyber Monday online shopping event. In-store sales slumped this week, marking the first time in six weeks that it has dropped into negative territory, while non-store sales continued to trend downwards, dropping to its lowest point in seven weeks.

“This week saw a cold and wintery start but gradually became milder, although cloudy with patchy rain and temperatures between 3°C and 6°C. The same week last year was marked by extremely cold weather with sub-zero temperatures, overcast and thick fog in parts of the UK.”

Overall footfall reduced by -4,3% compared to the corresponding week last year. The decline in footfall was most evident on the high street as it fell by -7.4%, while shopping centres saw a drop of -3.0%. Retail park footfall on the other hand saw a slight increase of +0.8%.