Overall footfall was positive throughout January reflecting an expected uplift related to seasonal sales. High streets and shopping centres enjoyed double-digit positive growth throughout the month. Retail park footfall was negative in week one but positive throughout the rest of the month. Week two produced the month’s highest overall footfall (14.6 per cent), with the high street notably growing by 19.7 per cent and shopping centres by 14.0 per cent, according to a press release by accountants and business advisors BDO LLP.

Fashion total LFL sales in the UK climbed by +20.1 per cent in January from a base of +74.2 per cent for January 2022. January marked the twenty-third consecutive positive month for total LFLs for fashion with double-digit growth across by in-store and non-store channels, as per a recent survey. In-store LFLs for fashion were positive throughout the month.

Total LFL sales in the UK climbed by 10.9 per cent in January from a base of 51.9 per cent for the same month last year. Total in-store LFLs grew by 19.5 per cent this month from a base of 10,565.2 per cent for January last year when LFLs were rebounding from lockdown. Total non-store LFLs rose by 4.1 per cent from a negative base of -2.7 per cent for January last year.

Strong LFL sales throughout the month carried January to the best monthly result since July and the twenty-third consecutive month of positive total LFL sales. While the overall figures are positive these were only marginally above the UK’s high inflation rate. Furthermore, total LFL sales were driven by strong store sales with non-store sales outside of fashion firmly negative in each week of the month.

The new year opened with total LFLs jumping 14.62 per cent in the first week of January from a base of 44.88 per cent for the corresponding week last year. The second week of January saw total LFLs jump by 13.67 per cent from a strong base of 62.53 per cent. In the third week of the month, total LFLs climbed by 12.79 per cent from a base of 60.65 per cent for the same week in 2022.

In week four, total LFL sales climbed 11.96 per cent from a base of 65.85 per cent for the corresponding week in 2022. Week four was notable as online sales fell to their lowest figure since October 2020, growing only 0.31 from a base of -5.92 per cent. Week five total LFLs grew by 10.20 per cent from a base of 62.71 per cent for the same week in January 2022.

The BDO High Street Sales Tracker outlines the weekly sales changes of more than 85 retailers with some 10,000 individual stores.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (NB)