Retail sales climb as online purchases drive growth, BDO says

Retail sales climbed by 6.24% for the week ended 17 June as customers racked up a high number of online purchases in the run-up to Father's Day, according to the results of a closely-followed survey.

Non-store like-for-like sales were up 21.02% as a deluge of rain, which caused localised flooding and transport disruption in large parts of the UK, caused footfall at brick-and-mortar stores to drop by 4.9% compared to the same week last year, consultancy BDO's High Street Sales Tracker revealed.

Overall, footfall was down by 7.1% in high street stores, and by 3.9% and 1.0% at shopping centres and retail parks, respectively.

The same week last year featured mixed weather conditions with some areas experiencing more sustained wet weather than others.

In-store sales were 1.71% lower, coming close to offsetting a base of 1.74% growth during the same week last year.

Among individual sectors, fashion sales led the way with a like-for-like 8.81% increase, for the 21st consecutive week of positive like-for-like sales for the sector year-to-date.

Homewares climbed by 6.40% from a positive base of 4.75% growth in the equivalent week last year, while lifestyle sales were 0.47% higher against a comparative of 1.85% growth.