UK retail sales see rebound in January, clothing takes hit

New figures by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) have cast a positive light on retail for the beginning of the year, with the sector seeing a sales volume rebound of 3.4 percent through January.

This immediately followed a record fall of 3.3 percent in the month prior, making it the largest monthly rise since April 2021.

On a broader scale, sales volumes fell 0.2 percent over the three month period to January in comparison to the three months prior.

While this news was a step in the right direction for physical retail, clothing stores still experienced underlying struggles, being the only subsector to not see an increase in sales volume over the month.

As non-food store sales volumes rose 3 percent, returning to “broadly expected levels”, clothing store sales fell 1.4 percent.

Commenting on the figures, Stuart Chalmers, retail industry lead at Accenture UK and Ireland, told FashionUnited: “Retailers will be pleased to see this boost at the start of the year, in a week that brought the unwelcome news that the UK has entered a technical recession. Sales rose in most subsectors, with food stores and supermarkets contributing most, but clothing retailers will be disappointed to see a drop in numbers.

“January’s retail performance will offer hope to a beleaguered sector after a challenging ‘golden quarter’. With inflation continuing to hold steady, retailers should be using data to better understand what customers want, and when they want it. This approach can help to inform their broader strategy, including in their supply chains, through to in-store experiences.”