Nitheesh NH
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Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted
Source: ONS/Coresight Research[/caption] [caption id="attachment_84354" align="aligncenter" width="600"]
Source: ONS/Coresight Research[/caption]
Retail Sales Growth by Sector
March was another strong month for retail, but a closer review shows that small retailers continued to drive this total growth. For a number of months, ONS data have been volatile for fragmented sectors, in which independents and small chains hold substantial shares. In March, this pattern continued with unusually strong growth for small clothing retailers (up a whopping 30%), specialist food stores, and health and beauty retailers. At the same time, there were deep declines for sectors such as floor covering retailers, and music and video retailers (though the latter is also serving a market in structural decline).
The late timing of Easter this year adds further complexity, as the holiday typically provides a boost for grocery retailers and DIY stores — both of which saw slowing growth in March. Easter timing may also have contributed to the fall in sales at department stores/mixed-goods retailers, though this sector had posted declines in the previous two months, too. Department-store stalwart John Lewis posted sales declines in each of its four weeks that fell wholly within March. The ONS does not disclose in which sector specific retailers are categorized, but our understanding is that struggling Debenhams, which entered into a “prepack” administration in April, could well be classified in the ONS’s clothing specialists’ sector rather than in the department-store sector.
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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 fragmented sector, in which reported figures have traditionally been volatile
Source: ONS[/caption] Online Retail Sales Growth Total Internet retail sales were up 12.4% year over year in March, versus 11.8% growth in February. In March, Internet sales were down 1.5% at food retailers; the last time the ONS reported a decline in food retailers’ online sales was May 2011. The Easter shift will have impacted online grocery sales but the recent decline is partly a result of major chains such as Tesco focusing on profitability instead of chasing online growth. In March, Internet sales were up 9.5% at nonfood retailers and 18.4% at nonstore retailers.
Data in this report are not seasonally adjustedSource: ONS/Coresight Research[/caption] [caption id="attachment_84354" align="aligncenter" width="600"]
Source: ONS/Coresight Research[/caption]
Retail Sales Growth by Sector
March was another strong month for retail, but a closer review shows that small retailers continued to drive this total growth. For a number of months, ONS data have been volatile for fragmented sectors, in which independents and small chains hold substantial shares. In March, this pattern continued with unusually strong growth for small clothing retailers (up a whopping 30%), specialist food stores, and health and beauty retailers. At the same time, there were deep declines for sectors such as floor covering retailers, and music and video retailers (though the latter is also serving a market in structural decline).
The late timing of Easter this year adds further complexity, as the holiday typically provides a boost for grocery retailers and DIY stores — both of which saw slowing growth in March. Easter timing may also have contributed to the fall in sales at department stores/mixed-goods retailers, though this sector had posted declines in the previous two months, too. Department-store stalwart John Lewis posted sales declines in each of its four weeks that fell wholly within March. The ONS does not disclose in which sector specific retailers are categorized, but our understanding is that struggling Debenhams, which entered into a “prepack” administration in April, could well be classified in the ONS’s clothing specialists’ sector rather than in the department-store sector.
[caption id="attachment_84356" align="aligncenter" width="600"] *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 fragmented sector, in which reported figures have traditionally been volatile
Source: ONS[/caption] Online Retail Sales Growth Total Internet retail sales were up 12.4% year over year in March, versus 11.8% growth in February. In March, Internet sales were down 1.5% at food retailers; the last time the ONS reported a decline in food retailers’ online sales was May 2011. The Easter shift will have impacted online grocery sales but the recent decline is partly a result of major chains such as Tesco focusing on profitability instead of chasing online growth. In March, Internet sales were up 9.5% at nonfood retailers and 18.4% at nonstore retailers.