UK Retail Sales Succumb To England's Third Lockdown In January

(Alliance News) - UK retail sales sunk to their lowest level since May, according to numbers on ...

Alliance News 9 February, 2021 | 5:42AM
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(Alliance News) - UK retail sales sunk to their lowest level since May, according to numbers on Tuesday, with consumer confidence damped by the latest lockdown in England and the spread of new variants of Covid-19.

According to British Retail Consortium and KPMG monitor, total retail sales in the UK slumped 1.3% annually in January, following a 0.4% decline a year earlier. January's fall is larger than the three-month average decline of 0.6% and the 12-month average fall of 0.4%.

"January saw retail sales growth decline to its lowest level since May of last year. The current lockdown has hit non-essential retailers harder than in November, with the new variant hampering consumer confidence and leading customers to hold back on spending – especially on clothing and footwear," BRC Chief Executive Helen Dickinson said.

In the three months to January, total in-store sales of non-food items shrank by 37%, or 20% on a like-for-like basis.

England entered its third national lockdown in January, forcing non-essential retailers to close once again. The series of lockdowns have boosted online non-food sales, however. These rose 83% year-on-year in January.

"This is the highest on record," BRC noted, adding that three-month average rise in online non-food retail sales is 57%.

"Retailers have worked incredibly hard to expand their online delivery and click and collect offerings to ensure everyone can get the products they need during lockdown. This has led to record growth for online non-food sales and is a testament to the resilience and innovation of retail, which in the face of the pandemic, has rapidly adapted and invested in online platforms and delivery logistics," Dickinson added.

Over the three months to January, total food sales were up 7.9% annually, or 7.5% like-for-like.

BRC added: "This is higher than the 12-month total average growth of 6.1%. For the month of January, Food was in growth year-on-year."

Susan Barratt, chief executive of industry insights group IGD, said food and drink sales saw a small boost in early January but eased thereafter.

"Food and drink sales followed a familiar January dynamic, dropping back following the festive sales generated in December. The latest national lockdown triggered a small spike in sales at the start of the month, but this was much more modest than the surge experienced in the first lockdown in March. Many categories continue to benefit from the closure of the out-of-home sector. Alcohol sales have fared particularly well, with 'dry January' having little impact on consumers' spending," Barratt added.

By Eric Cunha; ericcunha@alliancenews.com

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