Online sales are growing fast as more goods become available online, reports the latest BDO High Street Sales Tracker.
Non-store sales, which include online, catalogue and telephone ordering, rose by 42.3% in the week ending May 23, the survey found. Demand was high, it said, because there was “an increased amount of product range available online compared to this time last year.”
As usual, the growth in online far outpaced the high street, which saw like-for-like sales rise by 3.7% compared to the same week last year.
Fashion sales rose by 5.8%, with footwear receiving the biggest benefit, closely followed by womenswear. Homewares saw a 7.2% rise, with furniture and textiles doing the best business.
Sunny weather was thought to be behind the rise in sales. Don Williams, head of retail at BDO LLP, said: “Last weekend’s exceptional weather helped fashion, seasonal and homeware retailers report solid results as shoppers were in the mood to stock up on summer clothing.
“The good weather, however, negatively impacted stores with a focus on indoor goods.”
BDO’s High Street Sales Tracker monitors weekly like-for-like sales changes at 70 mid-tier retailers with around 10,000 stores between them.
