Fashion sales soar 88.8% versus last year's lockdown period

Total like-for-like fashion sales jumped 88.8% for the week ending 13 March 2022, compared to +15.58% for the corresponding week last year when the UK was still in the midst of Lockdown 3, marking 53 consecutive weeks of positive total like-for-like sales for fashion going back to the second week of March 2021.

Lifestyle total like-for-like sales also performed strongly once again, up 41.21% from +6.34% for the same week last year, but homeware like-for-like sales tumbled by -14.08% from a strong base of +54.40% for the same week last year when home improvement stores were still allowed to open while stores deemed as non-essential were not, according to the latest data from BDO High Street Sales Tracker.

Total like-for-like sales across all three categories rose 60.87% from +17.28% last year, and total in-store like-for-like sales rocketed +20,432.51% during the week from a lockdown base of -79.26% for the same week last year.

In-store like-for-like fashion sales increased by 42,723.11% last week, but from a base of -89.46% during the same week last year, marking 51 consecutive weeks of positive in-store like-for-likes for fashion.

Unsurprisingly, given most shopping was done online in the comparative week last year, total non-store like-for-like sales declined by -12.89% during the week from a massive base of +162.59% for the equivalent week last year.

Overall footfall for the week grew by 110.3% compared to the corresponding week last year, with high street footfall up 137%, shopping centres up 136.8% and retail parks improving 24.6%.