UK retail sales creep up in November
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Retailers hoping for a stellar November drive by Black Friday and Cyber Monday in the run up to Christmas will be slightly disappointed, as although retail sales grew, the rate of growth slowed down.
UK like for like sales creep up a mere 0.6 per cent during November in comparison to 2015, while total sales increased 1.3 per cent year by year against a 0.7 per cent increase during the same period last year, according to the latest data from the British Retail Consortium and KPMG. In the three months to November 26, non-food sales in the UK grew 1.5 per cent on a like for like basis and 1.7 per cent on a total basis.
Although sales were down in comparison to last year in the weeks before Black Friday (November 25), the week of Black Friday saw a 40 per cent increase in spend in comparison with the rest of the month, reported the BRC. Department store John Lewis reported record sales on November 25. "November plays host to Black Friday, which over the past few years has become one of the biggest shopping days of the year," commented Helen Dickinson, OBE Chief Executive at the British Retail Consortium.
"This year’s event was expected to be the biggest yet, and our figures confirm that the week including Black Friday saw non-food sales up around 40 per cent compared with the other weeks of the month. However, compared to last year there was more of a shift of spending from earlier in the month, with sales down on last year in the weeks prior to November 25."
During the three months to November, online sales grew 10.7 per cent, while in-store sales declined 0.8 per cent on a total basis, reflecting consumers changing shopping habits. "It wasn’t the same story for everyone. Retailers of goods that don’t traditionally benefit from the event, such as clothing, saw weaker Black Friday week sales this year, but made the most of the increased online traffic in the weeks building up to the 25th November by offering promotions to capture shoppers browsing for early bargains", added Dickinson.
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