Homeware sales were down on the high street once again, while overall sales returned to a small level of growth.

According to the latest BDO High Street Sales Tracker, total like-for-like (LFL) sales rose by 0.97% for the week ending 22 October 2023.

Homeware total LFLs dropped by -1.44% from a positive base of +1.24% for the same week last year, signifying the category’s fourth successive negative result.

Store sales for homeware grew by +3.34% from an already positive base of +4.08% for the same week last year, denoting the category’s second positive result in the last four weeks.

Total in-store LFL sales slipped this week by -1.04% from a positive base of +2.60% for the same week last year. Total non-store LFL sales rose by +2.04%, partially offsetting a negative base of -1.52% for the same week last year.

Commenting on the results, BDO said: “This week’s growth in total LFL sales comes off the back of positive total non-store sales, while in-store sales were in the negative, although slightly positive for lifestyle and homewares.

“The weather in the UK this week was a mix of wet and chilly conditions with heavy clouds and temperatures falling below 10°C. The weather during the same week last year varied from mild to rainy with thunderstorms in some areas of the UK.”

Overall footfall decreased this week by -1.6% compared to the same week last year. High street footfall declined by -3.3% and shopping centres registered a footfall drop of -1.6%. Retail park footfall on the other hand grew by +2.1%.