According to the latest data from BDO, total LFL sales enjoyed a sharp increase last week, rising by +18.98% from a base of -3.49% – with homewares one of the stand-out performers.
The week culminated in the Black Friday promotional event, whereas the same week last year started with the Cyber Monday ecommerce promotional day.
Lifestyle, fashion and homewares LFL sales reported strong growth across both bricks-and-mortar and non-store platforms.
Total homewares LFL sales grew by +28.37% this week from a positive base of +2.71% for the same week last year, representing the category’s 21st positive result in 2024.
Both store and non-store LFL sales were positive. Store sales were up +9.98% from a positive base of +6.44%, while non-store sales were up +44.10% from a positive base of +2.90% for the same week in 2023. Non-store homewares sales recorded their strongest LFL growth since April 2021.
Total store LFL sales reported the highest increase since March 2023, while non-store sales enjoyed double-digit growth across all sectors.
Total in-store LFL sales were up +14.39% from a negative base of -3.26% for the same week last year, which reflects the sharp rise in footfall reported last week. Total non-store LFL sales grew +23.40% from a base negative base of -4.80% for the same week last year.
Last week, the UK weather was cold and unsettled, with frosty nights, fog, and rain, particularly in northern regions. Temperatures were below average for the time of year. In contrast, the same week in 2023 was milder and calmer, with high-pressure systems bringing dry and settled weather.
Overall footfall rose by +5.2% compared to the equivalent week in 2023. High street footfall rose by +5.8% and traffic to retail parks rose by +5.3%. Shopping centre footfall rose by +3.9%, the highest level since March this year.
