Homeware sales remained in negative territory on the high street, as overall sales were down towards the end of May.
According to the latest BDO High Street Sales Tracker, total like-for-like (LFL) sales fell by 2.34% for the week ending 26 May 2024.
Homeware total LFL sales slipped by -1.81% this week from a negative base of -10.00% for the same week last year, signifying the fifteenth negative result for the category so far in 2024.
Store homewares LFL sales climbed by +3.67% from a weak base of -6.64% for the same week last year, marking the category’s sixth positive outcome so far in 2024.
Total in-store LFL sales decreased by -1.92% from a base of +1.73% for the same week last year. Total non-store LFL sales grew by +3.24% but failed to offset a negative base of -6.02% for the same week last year.
Commenting on the results, BDO said: “A drop in total in-store sales dragged down total LFL sales results as online sales remained positive this week. Although lifestyle and homewares were positive in-store, fashion sales dipped sharply impacting total in-store results.
“This week saw a typical springtime mix of weather with sunshine, showers and some longer spells of rain in some parts of the UK. The same week last year saw partly sunny and warm weather with sporadic showers.”
Overall footfall fell by -4.8% compared to the corresponding week last year. High street footfall saw a sharp drop of -7.8%, while shopping centres saw a decline of -3.5%. Retail park footfall saw a meagre growth of +0.4%.
