UK retail sales plummeted to the worst levels on record in March as footfall plunged and non-essential stores were forced to close amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Like-for-like UK retail sales at physical stores fell by a record 34.1 per cent and total like-for-like sales, both in-store and online combined, fell 17.9 per cent.
Lifestyle and fashion store sales both suffered the worst month on record, with declines of 40.4 per cent and 24.6 per cent respectively, as consumer spending switched to essential items. Fashion sales at bricks and mortar stores were negative in every week of March. In the final week of the month, which had only had two days of trading before the coronavirus lockdown, sales dived 99.28 per cent.
Homeware sales plunged 26.1 per cent, the biggest drop since May 2018, the UK retail sales tracker by accountancy firm BDO found. Online like-for-like sales increased by 13.7 per cent in March from a base of 18.7 per cent last year as shoppers swapped the high street for e-commerce platforms.
