Fashion Victims

Clothing sales take a huge hit in pandemic slump

FASHION has taken a back seat during the long weeks and months of lockdown as clothing retailers report that sales have halved in the last year. Although the average amount spent a week on retail overall increased this February when compared to the previous month, it was still 3.7 per cent lower than February 2020, the month before the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

According to Office of National Statistics estimates, clothing retailers have been hardest hit, as people trapped at home under lockdown restrictions kept their cash in their pockets rather than splash out on the latest fashion items.

Sales in this sector have fallen by 50.4 per cent when compared with February last year.

During the month before the first lockdown started, shoppers across Britain spent an average of £969,798 a week on clothes, accessories, shoes and trainers.

By February 2021, that figure had fallen to an average of £481,002 a week.

Petrol stations also reported a significant drop of 26.5 per cent, as travel restrictions continued to hit sales.

Nationally, an average of £626,434 was paid out weekly by drivers to fill up their vehicles in February 2021, well below the £851,811 spent on fuel in February 2020.

But there is some cause for optimism in retail.

While sales are still down on last year, there was a partial recovery in February, as sales rose by 2.1 per cent on the January figures.

The ONS estimates show that the average weekly amount spent on retail overall increased from £7.9 million to £8.1m between January and February.

Department stores, in particular, saw sales rise by 16.2 per cent compared to the previous month.

This was largely driven by budget stores, which were able to remain open despite the lockdown because of selling a mix of food and other essential items.

The average weekly amount spent in department stores rose from £544,917 in January to £633,173 in February.

That follows a similar pattern that was seen during the first lockdown, when sales in department stores fell by 24.1 per cent in April 2020, but rebounded in May with a growth of 13.2 per cent - as customers took advantage of those stores that remained open.

This February, household goods stores also saw sales rise by 16.1 per cent compared to January.

That could be down to people buying DIY products to improve their homes.

Retailers also say there is evidence that shoppers have been snapping up outdoor furniture and other equipment ready to meet friends and family in gardens as lockdown restrictions are eased and the weather improves.

The figures show shoppers spent an average of £697,361 a week in household goods stores in February, compared to £600,471 in January.

That was even more than the £663,468 weekly average spent in these stores before the lockdown began, in February last year.

Andrew Goodacre, chief executive of the British Independent Retailers Association (Bira), said: “We have seen continued buoyancy in the hardware/ DIY market with those shops allowed to trade and customers continuing to spend on DIY and gardens.

“We are pleased that some independent businesses have seen a benefit. But in general the sales figures show that much of non-food shop retail is struggling with any growth in total sales being driven by on-line activity dominated by the giants of digital retailing

“These figures reflect the impact of lockdowns and offer no comfort to those so-called non-essential businesses forced to close since Boxing Day.

“We do not believe that any growth is driven by ‘true’ department stores because these have been closed.

“We believe that these figures show the flawed essential/ non-essential categorization implemented by the Government.

“It has created an unfair market with large general retailers masquerading as essential shops because they sell a few essential products. These figures show that these large general shops (Range/ B&M/ or even M&S) shops have sold far more non-essential items (homeware, easter items, etc) at the expense of the specialist independent shop.

“The Government needs to quickly reflect on this and do even more to support true independents having knowingly caused them huge damage by allowing large competitors to trade.”