Retailers suffer worst sales slump on record

SALES of goods across the UK plummeted by almost a fifth in April as the lockdown triggered the worst slump since records began.

After supermarket panic-buying faded, food sales climbed just 6pc on the month before – a disappointing result for April, which usually benefits from increased spending as families gather for Easter.

The data, from the British Retail Consortium and auditor KPMG, showed a 19.1pc drop in sales in April, the sharpest decline since comparable records began in 1995. But the lockdown boosted online sales as High Street stores shut.

Online sales of non-food items, such as office equipment and toys, shot up by 57.9pc.

Morrisons yesterday said it had doubled its online delivery slots and extended its internet shopping partnership with Amazon. Its total sales in the 14 weeks to May 10 were up 5.7pc, excluding fuel.

But B&Q owner Kingfisher saw like-for-like sales slump 24.8pc in the first quarter, after it shut shops. In contrast its online sales have jumped fourfold since mid-March. However the wider figures indicate how badly the retail industry has been affected by the pandemic.

Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium, warned that online shopping habits could stick even after the lockdown ends, intensifying the woes.

She called on the Government to give more rent support for shops which have been forced to close, and to provide more clarity on when they might reopen again.