Interviews
A far from Merry Christmas in High Street
08 Jan '08
4 min read
Footwear:
Trade overall was still down on a year ago and very tough for some. December was a little better than November and October, thanks to an improvement in children's footwear but, as with clothing, gains were often discount-driven and in some cases, even large markdowns failed to tempt customers.
Top-end branded and designer ranges remained stronger than mass market. Ankle and Ugg-style boots were preferred to the more expensive high-leg styles, thus hitting margins.
Dressy sandals and ballerina pumps showed some growth, with patent popular. Men's formal shoes often sold better than casuals.
Department Stores:
Sales varied both across stores and across the month, according to timings of special sales days, discounts and clearance events.
For most, clothing and footwear was generally disappointing, apart from top-end designerwear which continued to outperform.
Homewares, especially larger purchases, were still affected by consumer caution. Beauty products held up well, with Christmas gift sets popular.
Homewares:
Sales fell further below year-earlier levels, despite some discount-driven gains in clearance events. Home accessories were the weakest since August as the squeeze on household budgets hit discretionary purchases and trade was often concentrated in core essentials. New and contemporary ranges were more popular than traditional classic lines.
Furniture and Floorcoverings:
It was a difficult month as November's improvement was not maintained and sales fell well below year-earlier levels. In the slowing housing market, consumers' tight finances were directed to Christmas and essentials rather than home improvements, with many waiting for the January sales in anticipation of larger discounts. Before Christmas, even heavy discounts did not tempt many.
Health and Beauty:
After several very strong months, sales growth in toiletries and cosmetics slowed sharply to its weakest since March. The usual last-minute pre-Christmas boost for fragrances and gift sets failed to offset slower demand elsewhere. Strong competition across stores persisted for core toiletries, medicines and vitamins.
The December 2007 Monitor covers the five weeks 25 November – 29 December 2007 and provides the most up-to-date reflection of recent retail performance.
The January 2008 Monitor, covering the five weeks 30 December 2007 – 2 February 2008, will be released at 00.01am Tuesday 12 February. The data is collected and collated for the BRC by KPMG.
Trade overall was still down on a year ago and very tough for some. December was a little better than November and October, thanks to an improvement in children's footwear but, as with clothing, gains were often discount-driven and in some cases, even large markdowns failed to tempt customers.
Top-end branded and designer ranges remained stronger than mass market. Ankle and Ugg-style boots were preferred to the more expensive high-leg styles, thus hitting margins.
Dressy sandals and ballerina pumps showed some growth, with patent popular. Men's formal shoes often sold better than casuals.
Department Stores:
Sales varied both across stores and across the month, according to timings of special sales days, discounts and clearance events.
For most, clothing and footwear was generally disappointing, apart from top-end designerwear which continued to outperform.
Homewares, especially larger purchases, were still affected by consumer caution. Beauty products held up well, with Christmas gift sets popular.
Homewares:
Sales fell further below year-earlier levels, despite some discount-driven gains in clearance events. Home accessories were the weakest since August as the squeeze on household budgets hit discretionary purchases and trade was often concentrated in core essentials. New and contemporary ranges were more popular than traditional classic lines.
Furniture and Floorcoverings:
It was a difficult month as November's improvement was not maintained and sales fell well below year-earlier levels. In the slowing housing market, consumers' tight finances were directed to Christmas and essentials rather than home improvements, with many waiting for the January sales in anticipation of larger discounts. Before Christmas, even heavy discounts did not tempt many.
Health and Beauty:
After several very strong months, sales growth in toiletries and cosmetics slowed sharply to its weakest since March. The usual last-minute pre-Christmas boost for fragrances and gift sets failed to offset slower demand elsewhere. Strong competition across stores persisted for core toiletries, medicines and vitamins.
The December 2007 Monitor covers the five weeks 25 November – 29 December 2007 and provides the most up-to-date reflection of recent retail performance.
The January 2008 Monitor, covering the five weeks 30 December 2007 – 2 February 2008, will be released at 00.01am Tuesday 12 February. The data is collected and collated for the BRC by KPMG.
British Retail Consortium
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