Soggy summer for sales
August 18, 2023
It's official, it's been a soggy summer for sales with the Office for National Statistics reporting that flooring retail spend was down 7.1% in July to £228m from £245m last month.
But that's 12% up on this time last year and flooring is performing better that the furniture sector as a whole which was down a massive 20% to £1.20bn from £1.5bn in June.
The ONS data says non-food spending across the whole economy was 1.2% down after what the Met Office is reckoning will be the wettest July since 2009.
Retailers reported poor footfall and the ONS said: "The summer washout combined with the increased cost of living meant sluggish sales."
Helen Dickinson, Chief Executive of the British Retail Consortium, said: “July’s poor weather dampened retail sales, with spend stalling in areas such as clothing and household goods. Weakening consumer confidence also impacted purchases of big ticket items as customers continued to spend more cautiously, especially for furniture."
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BUSINESS NEWS
The British Furniture Confederation (BFC), the public affairs umbrella body of furniture and beds, furnishings and flooring sector trade associations, has unveiled its new Plan for Growth. The document is said to support BFC’s advocacy across four key pillars: skills and education; trade and exports; standards and regulations; and the environment and circular economy. It has been developed over the past few months, the organisation says, evolving from a combination of position papers written by the associations’ executives and a comprehensive survey of their collective members.
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Kellars, which describes itself as the largest independent flooring wholesaler in the UK, saw another year of “substantial growth” to July 2024, according to its strategic report for the period. With six depots across the UK and a team of more than 100, the company has reportedly grown at a “rapid rate,” with the year leading up to July 2024 seeing a dramatic rise.
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