The association has said that May’s Retail Sales Monitor report is of ‘real concern’ for UK stores.
May’s Retail Sales Monitor (RSM) shows that sales growth has slowed to its lowest level in six months. It showed that UK total retail sales increased by 3.9% in May, against a decline of 1.1% in May 2022. UK like-for-like sales increased by 3.7% in May, against a decline of 1.5% in May 2022.
Non-food sales increased 0.7% on a total basis and 0.5% on a like-for-like basis over te three months to May. This is above the 12 month total average growth of 0.5%.
In-store non-food sales increased 2.9% on a total basis in the three months to May, while online non-food sales decreased by 3%. The proportion of non-food items bought online decreased by 36.3% in May from 37.1% in May 2022.
BIRA ceo, Andrew Goodacre, commented: “These latest retail sales figures from BRC/ KPMG are a real concern for independent retailers, especially those in the non-food sectors. Inflation is coming down slower that expected and the threat of even higher interest rates will again damage consumer confidence.
“Discretionary expenditure, the lifeblood of the thousands of business in the non-food sectors, is falling and this will put even more pressure on already hard pressed retailers. Not only do we need to see a reduction in overhead costs for these businesses, we do not need more costly regulations and the government needs to find a way of growing the economy.
“The only good news for shops in these figures is the further decline in the penetration rate of non-food on-line sales. This trend has been there now for many months and shows that consumers prefer the high streets to do their shopping. The small retailer needs the opportunity and support to benefit from this.”
