Online surge lifts UK fashion back into growth as store sales slip : BDO Weekly

UK fashion sales returned to growth in the latest week, with total like-for-like (LFL) sales rising +3.07% over a period that included the early May bank holiday, according to the latest BDO High Street Sales Tracker. The result comes off a positive base of +2.80% for the same week last year.

Online demand drove the entire fashion uplift. Non-store fashion sales jumped +11.25%, marking a fourth consecutive week of growth in the channel, against a negative comparison base of -5.71% a year earlier. Store fashion sales fell -1.09%, pulling back from a strong +8.04% base last year.

The pattern mirrors a wider channel divergence across the high street. Total LFL sales rose +3.14% against a soft +0.25% base, with total non-store LFL up +8.45% — also a fourth consecutive weekly increase — while total store LFL grew a more modest +1.36% from a positive +2.83% base. The week marked the second consecutive period of positive sales across stores, non-store and all three retail categories of lifestyle, fashion, and homewares.

Springboard footfall data points to a continued reluctance to visit traditional shopping streets. Overall footfall slipped -0.8%, with high street footfall down -2.0% and shopping centre traffic flat. Retail parks were the only physical format to grow, with footfall up +1.1%.

Weather conditions shifted from mixed late-April patterns into a warm early-May heat spike before turning cooler and wetter over the bank holiday weekend. The brief warm spell may have supported online demand for spring/summer collections while keeping high street traffic subdued. The persistent outperformance of non-store fashion suggests the channel shift is structural rather than weather-driven.