Homeware sales returned back into positive territory on the high street while footfall remained positive.
According to the latest BDO High Street Sales Tracker, total like-for-like (LFL) sales rose by 7.30% for the week ending 20 November 2022.
Homeware total LFLs slightly increased by +0.48% from a base of +26.48% for the same week last year, indicative of the category’s sixteenth positive result for this year.
In store homeware sales were up by +8.16% from a base of +165.89% for the same week last year, marking its eighth consecutive positive result and thirty third for 2022.
Total in store LFL sales also saw the highest growth since early October, climbing by +9.25% from a base of +549.22% for the equivalent week in 2021 when LFLs were rebounding from the second national lockdown in the prior year. Total non-store LFL sales were up by +8.88%, but from a dire base of 10.72% for the same week last year, signifying its largest increase since the third week of July.
Commenting on the results, BDO said: “This week’s total LFL signifies the highest result since the first week of October, thanks to positive results across instore and non-store channels though the latter failed to offset a weak base result.
An early start to Black Friday related promotions by some retailers, as well as seasonal spending amongst consumers, may have contributed to a boost in total LFL sales this week.
“The weather this week was foggy along with wet and windy weather across many parts of the UK while some areas saw their first snowfall of the season. The weather on this same week was largely overcast with wintery temperatures across the UK.”
Overall footfall increased by +2.3% this week compared to the same week last year. Shopping centres saw the largest increase (+3.8%) this week, followed by the high street with +2.2% and then retail parks with +1.1%.
