World

UK: modest rise in retail sales in November

Dec 27, 2023 United Kingdom

According to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), retail sales in the UK were up by 1.3% in November, a slight upturn from a period of no growth in October

However, the ONS noted that while the rise in sales may appear positive, in a broader sense, the volume of sales fell by 0.8% in the three months to November compared with the previous three months. But this decline was not seen among non-food stores, where volumes rose 2.3%, following a 0.2% increase in October, most likely due to earlier Black Friday sales and wider discounting.

Commenting on these figures, Helen Dickinson, Chief Executive of the British Retail Consortium, agreed that “many retailers tried to give sales a needed boost in November by starting their Black Friday sales even earlier this year”. She added that “cosmetics and toiletries had another strong month as consumers continued to splurge on smaller indulgences”, but “some categories that usually do well in the Black Friday month, such as household electrical appliances, household goods, and furniture, saw weak growth”.

Sales in department stores increased by 2.3% in November, with clothing stores recording a 1.3% growth, which retailers attributed to earlier and increased Christmas spending in contrast to the typical November period. Online spending also rose by 1.5% in this period, driven by non-food stores performance.

Image Credits: which.co.uk

United Kingdom Organisations Retail Sales