Homeware sales remained positive on the high street, while overall sales were down for a second straight week.
According to the latest BDO High Street Sales Tracker, total like-for-like (LFL) sales fell by 2.64% for the week ending 19 November 2023.
Homeware total LFLs climbed by +9.08% from a flat base of +0.48% for the same week last year, marking the category’s fourth consecutive positive result and fifth in the last ten weeks.
Store sales for homeware jumped by +11.10% from an already solid base of +8.16% for the same week last year, indicative of the category’s fifth consecutive positive result and its thirty-sixth for 2023.
Total in-store LFL sales were up by just +1.89% from a strong base of +9.25% for the same week last year. Total non-store LFL sales were down by -1.97% from a solid base of +8.88% for the same week last year.
Commenting on the results, BDO said: “This week’s result marks the second negative outcome back-to-back for total LFL sales as weak non-store sales overshadowed the modest growth seen in-store.
“Homewares sales saw the highest growth result this week as both store and non-store channels saw positive outcomes, possibly driven by promotions in the lead up to Black Friday together with cocooning brought on by the onset of colder weather.
“Storm Debi brought strong winds and heavy rain to several regions of the UK this week, with parts of northern England and Scotland seeing stormy conditions. It was predominantly foggy, wet and windy during the equivalent week last year with northernmost parts of the country witnessing snowfall.
Overall footfall fell by -1.3% compared to the corresponding week last year. Retail park footfall saw a tiny increase of +0.3%, while high street footfall declined by -1.6% and shopping centres saw a drop of -2.3%.
