Weak store fashion sales end UK retail's four-week growth run

UK retail's four-week growth streak ended in the latest week, with weak in-store fashion sales identified as the primary drag, according to the latest BDO High Street Sales Tracker. Total like-for-like (LFL) sales slipped -0.10%, against a -1.43% base for the same week last year.

Fashion was the worst-performing category. Total fashion LFLs fell -3.27%, from an already negative -1.16% base last year, with the entire decline driven by physical retail. Store fashion sales dropped -4.90%, more than four times the -1.01% fall recorded in the same week of 2025.

The online channel offered a partial counterweight. Non-store fashion sales rose +5.10%, extending the run to a sixth consecutive week of growth, although the pace has slowed sharply from +13.39% the previous week. The comparable period last year saw online fashion contract -2.11%.

The wider retail picture mirrored fashion's split. Total non-store LFLs grew +6.73% from a -3.95% base, while total store LFLs fell -0.59%, marginally better than the -0.97% decline a year earlier. The split underscores how much of the recent retail recovery has been carried by online channels rather than physical stores. Springboard footfall data points to a clear weather effect. Overall footfall fell -3.4%, dragged down by a -6.3% drop on the high street and a -1.4% decline at shopping centres, while retail parks edged up +0.7%.

The UK experienced cool, unsettled conditions with thundery showers and temperatures below seasonal norms — conditions unlikely to encourage browsing of spring/summer collections in physical stores, at a time when fashion retailers depend on warm weather to lift demand for new-season ranges.