UK clothing sales remain 2% below February 2020 levels | Popgen Tech

Sales in UK clothing stores rose 2.1 percent in November 2022, mainly due to growth in footwear stores, but remained 2.0 percent below February 2020 levels. Retail sales fell by 0.4 per cent in November 2022 after rising by 0.9 per cent in October 2022 (revised from a rise of 0.6 per cent), the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

Retail sales excluding price changes rose 0.5 percent in November 2022 after rising 1.7 percent in October 2022. Compared to pre-coronavirus (COVID-19) levels in February 2020, total retail sales were 14.8 per cent higher in value terms, but volumes were 0.7 per cent lower, according to figures released by the ONS.

Compared to the same period a year earlier, retail sales fell 6.2 percent in the three months to November 2022, while cost of sales rose 4.4 percent. Sales fell 0.4 percent in November 2022, continuing a broad downward trend seen since the lifting of restrictions on hospitality businesses in the summer of 2021.

Sales in UK clothing stores rose 2.1 percent in November 2022, mainly due to growth in footwear stores, but remained 2.0 percent below February 2020 levels. Retail sales fell by 0.4 per cent in November 2022 after rising 0.9 per cent in October 2022 (revised from a rise of 0.6 per cent), the ONS said.

Online spending rose 0.6 percent in November 2022, led by month-on-month gains in all industries except other non-food stores. Online spending grew at the same pace as overall retail sales, so in November 2022, the share of online sales remained unchanged at 26.2 percent. Since then, the share of online retail sales has remained broadly unchanged at around 26.0 percent. 2022 year.

In November 2022, over-the-counter retail sales fell 2.8 percent, but were 18.2 percent above the pre-coronavirus (COVID-19) level in February 2020. The fall in non-store retail sales has been a trend since early 2021, when the economy reopened and people could return to shopping in stores.

Responding to the latest ONS Retail Sales Index figures, Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium, said: “Sales growth fell short of inflation as sales fell for the eighth month in a row. Black Friday provided a small boost to retailers, but there are signs that many consumers are putting off their Christmas spending until the last minute. Retailers can take some comfort from the slight improvement in consumer confidence, but it remains well below levels seen even in the midst of the pandemic due to the continued decline in the cost of living. Stronger growth was seen in furniture, flooring and textiles as households decided to focus on home improvements ahead of Christmas. But many retailers are holding their breath as they look ahead to the all-important December sales period.”

“Given the pressures currently being placed on the retail industry due to higher energy and material costs, it is vital that the Government supports retailers as it implements the future arrangements for EBRS from April 2023. Without clear, targeted support, retailers will see their costs — and potentially prices — climb even higher,” Dickinson added.

Fibre2Fashion News Service (NB)