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BRC reports worst December retail sales

13 Jan '09
5 min read

They also felt more relaxed about ordering later and confident of delivery before Christmas. Several stores moved their last order dates nearer Christmas this year, which no doubt helped last-minute shoppers.

*Non-Food Non-Store sales are transactions which take place over the internet, or via mail order or telesales.

Sector performance (like-for-like sales) - by Joscelyne Hynard, Senior Analyst, BRC

Clothing:
The year-on-year decline in sales was not quite as bad as in November, but the improvement was largely discount-driven as many stores held special sales days or began clearance earlier than usual. Hence where gains were achieved, margins were often hit.

Sales have now been lower than a year ago for 14 of the past 15 months: May's early sun drove the only gain achieved during this period. Accessories and smaller purchases often sold better than the more expensive items such as coats and suits, though special deals on party dresses did well. The very cold weather helped knitwear, hats, scarves and gloves.

Footwear:
Sales picked up to show a small year-on-year gain, but this reflected extensive heavy discounting and early clearance sales. Gains for women's and children's footwear were partly offset by a further fall in men's. Children's – being seen as more essential than adults' – continued to hold up well.

The very cold weather, together with discounts and promotions, helped boots and casual shoes. Party shoes were popular, especially styles that could also be worn on more everyday occasions. The squeeze on discretionary spending continued to favour value lines, but designer ranges gave gains for some.

Homewares:
Home accessories and house textiles were much worse than in previous months, showing year-on-year falls for the eighth month in a row. There were some better sales in clearance but tight finances meant sales were driven by basic essentials and replacements, especially value ranges, rather than upgrades or additions. Christmas lines did well for some, but in general consumers were just not buying, preferring to save or spend spare cash on Christmas.

Floorcoverings:
Sales were little changed from the previous month, with the year-on year fall only a little better than in October which was the largest year-on-year fall for at least eight years. Housing market weakness and consumer caution have hit the sector very hard and even heavy discounting often failed to tempt shoppers. Major purchases such as fitted kitchens and bathrooms were well down on a year ago. Bedroom, dining and upholstery showed some limited gains in clearance sales.











British Retail Consortium

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