Description
“In March, all retail sales grew 9.3%. March marks the one-year anniversary of the first lockdown in the UK and is the first time the retail sector has faced COVID-19 impacted comparative figures. In March 2020 retail sales saw a 2.8% decline as shoppers stockpiled ahead of an impending lockdown. With stores still closed in March 2021, online was again the big winner. However, growth slowed across all online categories, with imminent store re-openings playing a part in likely delaying some of this demand into April. We can expect retail sales to see an uptick as people return to stores and the hospitality sector reopens.”
This Report looks at the following areas:
- Analyst comment – H&M features vegan cactus leather in latest sustainability push
- An overview of the latest UK retail sales – Impact of COVID-19
- Highlights of the latest UK retail trend observations
- Sector focus – Household goods retailing
- Monthly UK retail news headlines and analysis
Table of Contents
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Analyst Comment – H&M features vegan cactus leather in latest sustainability push
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- Figure 1: H&M’s Science Story collection “unites the energy of the present moment and the optimism promised by a sustainable future, 2021
- Figure 2: The Neon Green Sandals, in vegan imitation leather made from cactus leaves, £79.99, have sold out, 2021
- Responding to the shift in shopping behaviours
- Shoppers sceptical about sustainability claims
- What we think
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UK Retail Sales
- Key points
- Retail sales
- Figure 3: Retail sales trends, January 2019-March 2021
- BRC vs ONS
- Figure 4: UK retail sales y/y growth, BRC vs ONS, January 2018-March 2021
- Inflation
- Figure 5: Annual % change in the consumer price index for selected product groups, January 2019-March 2021
- Inflation and wages
- Figure 6: Real wages growth: wages growth vs inflation, January 2016-March 2021
- Looking forward
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Sector Focus – Household Goods
- The sector – What’s included
- The sector in context
- Figure 7: Household final consumption expenditure on household goods, 2016-20
- Figure 8: Household goods specialists’ sectors year on year growth in sales, 2016-20
- Reduced appetite for big-ticket items and store closures impact furniture sales
- Housing market resurgence help carpet specialists avoid another seismic collapse in sales
- Renewed focus on the home and garden and booming ecommerce drive DIY sales
- Specialists’ lose out to non-specialists as online electrical purchasing rockets
- Textile specialists’ sales fall sharply on back of COVID-19 store closures
- Rise in sector spending encouraging
- Figure 9: Planned spend on home and garden products, 8 January-12 April 2021
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Launch Activity and Innovations
- UK: Asda announces raft of new brand partnerships for George
- UK: N Brown launches new brands to third-party offer starting with Finery
- UK: Decathlon opens experiential flagship in Leeds
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Headlines for the Month
- Convenience stores
- Grocers
- Other food and drink specialists
- Clothing retailing
- Footwear retailing
- Multi-sector retailing
- Department stores
- DIY retailing
- Furniture retailing
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News Analysis – Food and Drink
- Convenience stores
- UK: McColl’s full-years sales rise 3.2% despite drop in profits
- UK: Nisa cuts wholesale prices for retailers in £2 million investment
- Grocers
- UK: Aldi
- …removes plastic straws from all own-label drink cartons
- …to offer National Lottery at all its stores
- UK: Asda opens first London in-store vaccination centre
- UK: Iceland launches new convenience format Swift
- UK: Morrisons
- …revenue up 8.9% despite drop in profits
- …rolls out ‘quiet hour’ during weekend
- UK: Tesco
- …launches new plastic ban affecting online shoppers
- …Pret teams up with Tesco to sell baked goods in supermarkets
- …launches new plastic recycling scheme
- UK: Waitrose to stop selling magazines with disposable plastic toys
- Other food and drink specialists
- UK: Greggs suffers £14m loss due to store closures
- UK: Thorntons to close all shops risking 600 jobs
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News Analysis – Clothing and Footwear
- UK: Barbour sees turnover rise 7.8% despite ‘significant’ COVID-19 impact
- UK: Boda Skins rolls out buy-back scheme
- UK: Boux Avenue unveils first athleisure collection
- UK: Browns unveils new four-storey ‘destination’ store
- UK: Burberry updates full-year outlook after rebound in sales
- UK: Fred Perry opens new Manchester flagship
- UK: Frugi Group sales up 51%
- UK: Joules to open stores in Center Parcs holiday villages
- UK: menswear rental service Garmentry launches in the UK
- UK: Next
- …pre-tax profits drop 53% amid ‘a crisis unprecedented in living memory’
- …buys 25% stake in upmarket fashion retailer Reiss
- UK: Peacocks rescued out of administration saving 2,000 jobs
- UK: Ralph & Russo fall into administration
- UK: retailers call on the government to reopen fitting rooms
- UK: Ted Baker launches live shopping service for UK customers
- UK: The Carlyle Group buys majority stake in End
- UK: Weird Fish ecommerce grew 84% as it focuses on investing in digital and in-store experiences
- Footwear retailing
- UK: Clarks takeover completed
- UK: Kurt Geiger to open nine new stores
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News Analysis – Mixed Goods
- Multi-sector retailing
- UK: B&M hires new digital director signalling a possible ecommerce push
- UK: Halfords acquires Universal Tyre and Autocentres for £15m
- UK: M&S
- …outlines reopening plans with new campaign
- …set to add Sosandar offering to website
- …turns closed cafes into Easter pop-up stores
- UK: Poundland
- …set to open 30 new stores
- …renegotiates 180 leases
- UK: Wilko to roll out in-store recycling face-mask scheme
- Department stores
- UK: Debenhams
- …Leicester store to be converted into flats
- …to reopen for closing down sale
- UK: John Lewis
- …‘does not expect to reopen all John Lewis shops at the end of lockdown’
- …closes eight more stores
- UK: Selfridges reveals first kitchen pop-up
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News Analysis – Household Goods
- DIY retailing
- UK: Homebase reveals revamped website
- UK: Kingfisher
- …sales grow 7% as it sees ‘new generation of DIY’ers’ emerge
- …to launch B&Q stores in Saudi Arabia
- UK: Screwfix plans 50 new store openings creating 600 jobs
- UK: Topps Tiles sales fall 17.3% thanks to lockdown restrictions
- UK: Wickes and Travis Perkins demerger resumes
- Furniture retailing
- UK: Eve Sleep reduces annual losses by 83%
- UK: owner of Julian Charles pledges to invest £20m for new retail acquisition
- UK: ScS revenues up 14.4% as CEO steps down
- UK: Victoria Plum sales grow by a record 46%
- Homewares retailing
- UK: home furnishing retailer Terrys sees 109% increase in demand during lockdowns
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News Analysis – Online
- UK: Amazon reduces shares in Deliveroo
- UK: Asos
- …aims to raise £500 million to help global expansions push
- …interim revenues up 24% as customers become confident in online shopping
- UK: Boohoo turns to vintage fabric amid sustainability drive
- UK: Just Eats revenues grows 54% to €2.4 billion
- UK: Ocado
- …quarterly revenues grow 40% ‘reflecting strong demand for online grocery’
- …relaunches own-label range as plastic-free
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News Analysis – Other Retail
- Health & beauty retailing
- UK: Boots online sales surge 105%
- UK: Lloyds Pharmacy rolls out UK’s first COVID-19 nasal spray
- UK: Superdrug to stock Missguided Beauty
- Sports and leisure goods retailing
- UK: Evans Cycle to cut 300 jobs
- UK: Frasers Group acquires retail park in Wigan
- UK: Nike severs ties with Urban Outfitters as part of its DTC strategy
- Garden centres
- UK: Dobbies
- …rolls out virtual spring events
- …reveals new Little Dobbies format in Bristol
- Shopping centres
- UK: Bluewater to launch drive-in cinema to attract footfall
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News Analysis – Economy
- UK: Boris Johnson confirms non-essential retail will reopen in England from April 12
- UK: retailers campaign for ‘Shop Out To help Out’
- UK: shops opening hours will be extended until 10pm in April
- UK: ONS results reveal February retail sales growth of 2.1%
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