Homeware sales remained down on the high street once again, as overall sales returned to growth at the start of April.
According to the latest BDO High Street Sales Tracker, total like-for-like (LFL) sales rose by 3.74% for the week ending 7 April 2024.
Homeware total LFL sales fell by -3.78% this week from a poor base of -4.44% for the same week last year, denoting the eighth consecutive negative result for homewares and its twelfth so far in 2024.
Store homewares LFL sales collapsed by -8.29% from a solid base of +8.30% for the same week last year, indicative of the category’s twelfth negative result so far in 2024.
Total in-store LFL sales dropped by -2.06% from a strong base of +10.12% for the same week last year. Total non-store LFL sales catapulted by +22.95% from a base of +2.08% for the same week last year.
Commenting on the results, BDO said: “Strong non-store sales results across all retail segments boosted total LFL sales in a week that included Easter Monday bank holiday. This week’s non-store sales result is the channel’s strongest since the penultimate week of December 2023, which was also the final week of trading before Christmas.
“This week saw milder temperatures in the early teens with largely dry conditions and occasional rainfall. The same week last year saw a mix of wet and cloudy weather with gusts amidst warm temperatures.”
Overall footfall fell by -1.8% this week when compared to the equivalent week last year. The fall in total footfall was driven mainly by a sharp drop in high street footfall results (-5.8%) as retail parks and shopping centres saw positive outcomes (+3.7% and +1.0% respectively).
