The onset of spring did not translate into positive sales figures for the UK high street, despite a slight boost from Mother’s Day and Easter.
According to the BDO High Street Tracker, total like-for-like (LFL) sales were down by 2.2% in the five weeks to 31 March compared to the same period last year, marking the sixth consecutive month of negative performance.
Store sales decreased by 1.8%, a significant drop from a strong performance of +6.6% in March 2023, while non-store sales fell by 2.3% from a positive base of +2.8% last year.
Lifestyle sales showed resilience, likely buoyed by gift purchases around Mother’s Day, while Fashion and Homewares plummeted 3.2% and 10.9% respectively.
BDO’s data suggests that the generally positive footfall in March, helped by Mother’s Day and the Easter long weekend, was not enough to offset broader trends of cautious consumer spending and the ongoing impacts of economic uncertainty.
“Following the Spring Budget, it remains to be seen whether the changes to the National Minimum Wage and National Insurance bands result in increased consumer spending, however the latest consumer confidence data suggests consumers remain wary about the national economic outlook,” said BDO.