BDO's Weekly U.K. Retail Sales Index Falls

Total U.K. retail sales were down by 4.9 percent like-for-like, the worst result for 16 weeks according to BDO Stoy Hayward's High Street Sales Tracker for the week ending June 14. 

Non-fashion retailers had a mixed week with luxury and gifting stores experiencing higher demand, while health and beauty, and leisure-related stores saw sales fall, BDO reports.

In the fashion sector, sales fell by 8.5 percent. Specialist stores retailers on promotion did, however, see an uplift. Homeware retailers had a good week by recent standards, BDO notes, with sales in positive territory for the first time in six weeks.

"Against soft prior-year comparatives, it was a pretty disappointing week for most mid-market retailers," says Rupert Eastell, head of retail at BDO Stoy Hayward. "Fashion stores in particular reported poor demand across most product categories, while non-fashion retailers also saw sales marginally slide."

The warm weekend weather probably discouraged some core shopping trips, while the Tube strike in London also made the trading environment more difficult.

"However, surprisingly, some homeware retailers found the going comparatively easier, helped by improved demand for lighting and household items, caused in part by increased levels of discounting," says Eastell.