MNI BRIEF: UK Retail Sales Growth Slowed Amid Lockdown

The BRC-KPMG retail sales monitor saw total sales higher by 0.9% in November, while like-for-like sales (excluding temporarily closed stores but including online sales) were up 7.7% Total food sales rose 7.0%, while non-food sales were up 1.3% in November. However, in-store non-food sales declined by 18.6% on a total basis. Online sales performed strongly again during the second lockdown with non-food online sales rising by 47.2% compared to a 0.3% uptick in November 2019.

The lockdown in England took its toll on UK retail sales with in-store sales falling sharply. However, several retailers were able to offset some of the losses via online and click-and-collect sales. "The disparity between online and in-store non-food sales widened, with the highest online penetration rate since May.", Helen Dickinson from the BRC noted.

"The arrival of a vaccine programme will help to boost consumer confidence, but conditions are likely to remain challenging for the immediate future and retailers will need to fight hard in the January sales for every penny in consumers' pockets.", Paul Martin from KPMG said.