Fashion and lifestyle performance lifts total UK sales

Total like-for-like sales jumped 61.43% for the week ending 20 February 2022, compared with a lacklustre base of -0.26% for the same week last year when the UK was in Lockdown 3.

Despite the spring half-term holidays, total like-for-like sales were lifted by strong fashion sales, up 80.50% for the week from positive base of +1.98% for the same week last year, according to the latest data from BDO High Street Sales Tracker.

The week’s result marks fifty consecutive weeks of positive total like-for-like sales for fashion going back to the third week of March 2021. In-store like-for-like sales for fashion increased by 12,710.62% for the week, but from a woeful base of -86.72% during the same week last year.

Lifestyle sales also performed well, up 58.68% for the week from a much worse base of -16.17% for the same week last year, but total homeware like-for-like sales declined for the first time since October 2021, at -6% compared to the same week in 2021 of +40.23%, when people busied themselves with at-home projects.

Total in-store like-for-like sales increased by 7,228.47% from a grim base of -80.80% for the same week last year, while total non-store like-for-likes sank by -18.98% from a huge base of +178.39% for the same week last year, when people were largely confined to being indoors and heavily reliant on online shopping.

Overall footfall for the week ending 20 February climbed by +116% compared to the equivalent week last year, despite Storm Dudley at the beginning of the week which intensified with Storm Eunice towards the end of the week.

Footfall increased by 131.5% in high streets, +157.2% in shopping centres and +40.8% in retail parks compared to the same week last year.