High street sales push higher - BDO

UK retail sales pushed higher last week, industry data showed on Friday, as people stocked up for Halloween and Bonfire Night.

According to the latest BDO High Street Sales Tracker, total like-for-like sales rose 4.69% in the week ending 5 November. Within that, online sales jumped 4.88% while in-store sales were ahead 3.19%.

The figures compared to marginal growth of just 0.2% in the same week a year previously, when in-store sales rose by 3.57% and non-store by 1.11%.

BDO noted: "Strong results for both in-store and non-store sales helped lift sales in a week that opened with Halloween on Tuesday and closed with the Bonfire Night weekend."

Lifestyle sales rose just 1.92% during the week, but fashion sales jumped 6.76% and homewares 5.28%.

Footfall was up 2.2% on the same week a year previously, with shopping centres seeing the highest growth, up 3.7%.

Retail parks reported a 2.9% increase in footfall, while high streets nudged 1.1% higher.