Heatwave triggers UK fashion rebound led by surge in store sales

UK fashion sales rebounded sharply in the latest week, with an early-season heatwave driving renewed demand across both physical and online channels, according to the latest BDO High Street Sales Tracker. Total fashion like-for-like (LFL) sales rose +4.59%, against a negative base of -1.14% for the same week last year.

Store fashion led the recovery in a notable reversal from the prior week's -4.90% decline. In-store fashion sales grew +6.00%, comfortably ahead of the -2.44% recorded in the comparable week last year. The performance also outpaced total fashion growth, indicating physical retail did the heavy lifting in the category. Non-store fashion continued its run of growth, rising +12.08%. The figure represents real channel momentum rather than a soft base effect: last year's comparable week was already positive at +3.42%, making this one of the more meaningful online fashion results of the recent run.

The wider retail picture was equally strong. Total LFL sales increased +5.19% from a -0.84% base, with all three retail categories — lifestyle, fashion, and homewares — in growth. Total store LFL sales rose +5.36% and total non-store LFL sales gained +11.54%, both off comparatively soft year-ago bases.

Footfall data tells a different story. Springboard reported overall footfall dipped -0.3%, with shopping centres down -1.2% and high streets down -0.6%, while retail parks rose +1.3%. The disconnect between flat-to-negative footfall and strongly positive store sales suggests fewer shoppers spent more per visit, a pattern often associated with sharp weather-driven demand spikes.

Temperatures shifted from cool spring conditions to an early-season heatwave during the week, with highs exceeding 34 degrees Celsius in parts of the UK — conditions well-suited to driving demand for spring/summer fashion ranges.