Retail sales rise 5.1% in April
Food sales also rose 9.8% in total and 10.0% on a like-for-like basis over the three months to April
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Total retail sales increased by 5.1% in April 2023, against a decline of 0.3% in the same month last year, according to the BRC-KPMG Retail Sales Monitor.
This is in line with the three-month average growth of 5.1% and above the 12-month average growth of 3.0%.
Like-for-like retail sales increased by 5.2% in April, against a decline of 1.7% in April 2022.
Food sales also rose 9.8% in total and 10.0% on a like-for-like basis over the three months to April.
Additionally, non-Food sales increased 1.2% on a total basis and 0.8% on a like-for-like basis over the three-months to April.
In-store non-food sales increased 3.9% in total and 3.3% on a like-for-like basis. However, online non-food sales decreased by 3.6% in April, against a decline of 13.9% in April 2022.
The proportion of non-food items bought online (penetration rate) decreased to 37.3% in April from 38.8% in April 2022.
Helen Dickinson OBE, chief executive at British Retail Consortium, said: “While retail sales grew in April, overall inflation meant volumes were down for both food and non-food as customers continued to adjust spending habits. Clothing sales underperformed as the poor weather left customers thinking twice before decking out their summer wardrobe. Meanwhile, a boost to overseas tourism over Easter helped jewellery, watches and cosmetics.
“Retailers hope sales will improve over the warmer summer months, especially as consumer confidence stabilises and inflation begins to ease. However, they continue to face huge cost pressures from a tight labour market, high energy prices, and other rising input costs, with many retailers reporting lower profits this year as a result. Government needs to ensure that any additional regulatory cost burdens are kept to a minimum as these add to inflation.”
Paul Martin, UK Head of Retail at KPMG, added: “Retail sales held steady in April with 5% growth on last year, but against a background of higher inflation year-on-year, masking how much is actually healthy growth for the sector.
“It was a mixed bag for the high street, with sales of footwear, food and jewellery performing strongly whilst more categories slipped into negative territory as clothing and computing continued to witness declining sales. Online retailers continued to feel the pressure in April, with both sales growth and penetration rates falling as the market rebalances after the pandemic and consumers choose to bargain hunt in store.”
