Last week (ended 9th February 2025), total LFL retail sales grew by +2.61% from a positive (albeit flat) base of +0.08% for the same week last year, reports BDO.
Store LFL sales ticked up +0.35% from a base of +0.67% for the same week last year, while non-store sales, after stumbling into negative territory in the previous week, grew +7.99%, from a base of +4.54% for the same week in 2024.
Homewares was the strongest-performing category for the second successive week, owing to healthy store and non-store sales, while lifestyle returned negative store and non-store LFL sales figures. Homewares total LFLs increased by +6.90% from a base of +5.19% for the same week in 2024. Indeed, total homeware sales have been positive in every week so far in 2025, says BDO.
Store homewares sales were positive for a second successive week, growing +7.45% and offsetting a negative base of -3.23% for the same week last year. Non-store homewares sales were positive for a third week in a row, up +10.25% from a positive base of +6.91% for the same week last year. Non-store homewares sales have been positive for all but three of the past 10 weeks.
In all, total LFL sales have been positive for all but one of the last 10 weeks. Store sales have been positive for five of the last 10 weeks, and non-store sales have been positive for all but two weeks over the same period.
During the week in question, the UK experienced a mix of wet and windy conditions in the North West, while the South and East remained drier with sunny spells. In contrast, the same week last year was notably warmer and wetter, contributing to the month being the warmest February on record for England and Wales.
Overall, footfall fell by -1.2%, pulled down by high street traffic, which was down -3.0% compared to the same week last year. Retail park and shopping centre footfall ticked up this week, by +0.9% and +0.5% respectively.
