Shopping Centre and High Street Spotlight

Inhalt

UK RETAIL CONSUMER AND OCCUPATIONAL TRENDS

Early footfall improvements in December were quickly reversed with the introduction of new tiered restrictions, damaging in-store sales once again. Christmas trading results were therefore very mixed, with total retail sales down -0.8% on average, compared to the +5.1% growth recorded in 2019. It's worth noting that fewer retailers reported full Christmas trading updates this year, however, a deeper dive into the individual statements reveals some interesting trends.

Sales growth through online channels averaged 66.5% this Christmas compared to an average in-store decline of –30.1%, for those retailers that report a breakdown. As a result, online sales penetration has continued to reach new heights, accounting for a 31.9% share of total UK retail sales in Q4 2020.