Spring freeze depresses sales
Spring freeze depresses sales
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Tuesday, 11, Apr 2006 12:01
Spring's cold spell has hit sales figures, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) has said today.
March's freeze combined with a late Easter has been blamed for a 1.4 per cent drop in like-for-like sales compared to the same period in 2005.
This is the first time that like-for-like sales have fallen this year, as shoppers shunned spring and summer clothing as the cold bit in. Even with adjustments for a late Easter, which affected the timing of mid-season promotions, Kevin Hawkins, director general of the BRC, appeared disappointed with the results.
"The probability is that, after adjusting for the timing of Easter, the underlying trend in like-for-like sales is, at best, flat," he said.
Despite a weak start, retail growth had shown signs of a pick up at the end of 2005, which was generally seen to be continuing into this year.
Mothering Sunday at least helped boost sales of confectionary and other gifts in March, while people appeared to have bought more food to make hearty winter casseroles.
However, clothing sales declined, though blame was attributed to a "lack of any definite fashion trend" as well as the cold, with women's fashion the worst hit.
Sales of DVDs did grow thanks in part to Harry Potter, though the music industry was said to have faced stiffer competition from downloads as purchases of singles and albums slumped compared to last March.
Though analysts at the BRC and KPMG - who both commissioned the survey - are not upbeat about March's performance, they say that they are waiting for April's figures to be combined to gauge the true effect of the distinctly unspringlike weather.