Retail sales boosted by pre-Christmas shopping

Retail sales volume rose to higher than pre-pandemic levels in November as strong Black Friday and pre-Christmas trading boosted numbers. ONS data revealed retail sales volumes rose by 1.4 per cent in November 2021 and were 7.2 per cent higher than February 2020 levels, right before the pandemic hit. Helen Dickinson, CEO of the British Retail Consortium said, “It is clear that plenty of customers used the Black Friday sales as an opportunity to snap up bargains ahead of Christmas.”
She added, “This sales event, once limited to the last week in November, has now become a month-long discounting event.” Dickinson said that while traditional sales in TVs and other electronics could be found, there has been a clear expansion in clothing and footwear Black Friday discounts, boosting sales growth in these areas. She said, “This was bolstered by the cold weather during November, which led many to prepare their wardrobe for the winter.” The report said non-food store sales volumes rose by two per cent, because of growth in clothing stores 2.9 per cent and other non-food stores 2.8 per cent such as computer stores, toy stores and jewellery stores.
Clothing stores sales volumes were above pre-coronavirus levels for the first time, 3.2 per cent above levels seen in February 2020. Computer, toy and jewellery retailers also reported robust sales. Fuel sales volumes rose by 3.7 per cent following some disruption to supplies in the previous two months. Volumes were 1.9 per cent below their February 2020 levels. Food store sales volumes fell by 0.2 per cent in November 2021 but were still 3.2 per cent above levels in February last year.
Dickinson said, “With more consumers choosing to visit the high street and retail parks, the proportion of online sales continued on a downward trend, to their lowest level since March 2020.” The proportion of retail sales online fell to 26.9 per cent in November 2021, its lowest proportion since March 2020 (22.6 per cent) and a continuation of a falling trend since its peak in February 2021 (36.8 per cent).
Dickinson said, “Retailers focus is now squarely in the final preparations for Christmas. There has already been a gargantuan effort to ensure that essential food and gifts are ready for the festive season, despite ongoing challenges in the supply chain. We remain confident it will be a great Christmas for consumers, and retailers are pulling out the stops to keep staff and customers as safe as possible during these difficult times.”