albert Chan
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Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted
Source: ONS/Coresight Research[/caption] [caption id="attachment_76559" align="aligncenter" width="666"]
Source: ONS/Coresight Research[/caption]
Retail Sales Growth by Sector
January was a solid month for the core sectors of grocery and clothing, though the substantial department stores/mixed-goods retailers sector turned negative; the latter may not surprise watchers of John Lewis’s weekly sales figures, which ranged from meaningfully negative to mildly positive across most of January.
For some sectors, the ONS continued to report figures that are hard to account for, given other indicators. This included a 13.2% year-over-year increase in sales at DIY and hardware stores, following a reported 27.4% rise in December – this is in a context of U.K. political uncertainty that makes strong growth for big-ticket sectors seem unlikely. The ONS also reported a hard-to-explain 18.5% year-over-year jump in sales at health and beauty retailers. Floor coverings specialists and the computers and telecoms sector continued to post volatile numbers.
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*A small retailer is defined as one with fewer than 100 employees or with revenues of £60 million or less per year; all others are large retailers
**A relatively small or fragmented sector, in which reported figures have traditionally been volatile
Source: ONS[/caption] Online Retail Sales Growth Total Internet retail sales were up 9.8% year over year in January, versus 13.0% growth in December. In January, Internet sales grew 3.2% at food retailers, 7.3% at nonfood retailers and 13.7% at non-store retailers.
Data in this report are not seasonally adjustedSource: ONS/Coresight Research[/caption] [caption id="attachment_76559" align="aligncenter" width="666"]
Source: ONS/Coresight Research[/caption]
Retail Sales Growth by Sector
January was a solid month for the core sectors of grocery and clothing, though the substantial department stores/mixed-goods retailers sector turned negative; the latter may not surprise watchers of John Lewis’s weekly sales figures, which ranged from meaningfully negative to mildly positive across most of January.
For some sectors, the ONS continued to report figures that are hard to account for, given other indicators. This included a 13.2% year-over-year increase in sales at DIY and hardware stores, following a reported 27.4% rise in December – this is in a context of U.K. political uncertainty that makes strong growth for big-ticket sectors seem unlikely. The ONS also reported a hard-to-explain 18.5% year-over-year jump in sales at health and beauty retailers. Floor coverings specialists and the computers and telecoms sector continued to post volatile numbers.
[caption id="attachment_76560" align="aligncenter" width="668"] *A small retailer is defined as one with fewer than 100 employees or with revenues of £60 million or less per year; all others are large retailers**A relatively small or fragmented sector, in which reported figures have traditionally been volatile
Source: ONS[/caption] Online Retail Sales Growth Total Internet retail sales were up 9.8% year over year in January, versus 13.0% growth in December. In January, Internet sales grew 3.2% at food retailers, 7.3% at nonfood retailers and 13.7% at non-store retailers.