In July 2020, retail sales volumes in the UK increased by 3.6 per cent when compared with June, and are 3.0 per cent above pre-pandemic levels in February 2020, according to the estimate for the month by the Office for National Statistics. The value of retail sales in July increased 4.4 per cent compared with June, and 1.7 per cent compared to February 2020.

However, clothing store sales were the worst hit during the pandemic and volume sales in July remained 25.7 per cent lower than February, even with a July 2020 monthly increase of 11.9 per cent in this sector.

On the other hand, online retail sales fell by 7.0 per cent in July when compared with June, but the strong growth experienced over the pandemic has meant that sales are still 50.4 per cent higher than February’s pre-pandemic levels.

The overall retail sales excluding fuel showed a 2.7 per cent increase in July. Commenting on the figures, British Retail Consortium chief executive Helen Dickinson said, “The latest ONS sales results mask a crisis under way in some parts of the retail industry. While food and online have shown growth, the hustle and bustle of shoppers and workers has yet to return to major town and city centres, continuing to impact sales significantly in those locations. In-store non-food sales were down over £1.6 billion per week during lockdown and July’s uplift reported by the ONS doesn’t make up for that lost ground.

“The survival of many retail businesses hangs in the balance. Some retailers haven’t been able to pay their rent for the period where they were required to close for our national benefit and numbers of job losses and shop closures are rising. Unless another viable solution is found, the Government should extend the moratorium on aggressive landlord debt enforcement beyond September.”

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (RKS)

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