British retail sales witnessed a slowdown in February 2024, as adverse weather conditions led to fewer consumers shopping.
During the month, UK total retail sales increased just 1.1% year-on-year (YoY) according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC), a significant drop from the 5.2% growth recorded in the same month of 2023.
The February 2024 figure also falls below both the three-month average growth of 1.4% and the 12-month average of 3.1%.
UK food sales over the three months to February 2024 rose by 6.0% YoY, compared to the 8.3% growth seen in the same period of 2023 and below the 12-month average growth rate of 7.9%.
Non-food sales declined by 2.5% YoY over the same three-month period to February 2024 compared to a growth of 3.2% the previous year, and saw a sharper drop than the 12-month average decline of 0.9%.
In February 2024, non-food sales declined compared to the same period of 2023. In-store non-food sales fell by 2.3% YoY over the three months to February 2024, contrasting with an 8.1% increase in February of the previous year.
The figure is below the 12-month average growth rate of 0.3%.
Online non-food sales saw a YoY decrease of 4.1% in February 2024, exceeding the decline of 3.1% in February 2023.
This exceeded both the three-month and 12-month average declines of 2.9%.
The online penetration rate for non-food items dropped to 35.7% in February from 36.1% in the same month of 2023.
British Retail Consortium chief executive Helen Dickinson OBE said: “Consumer demand was dampened by the wettest February on record, translating into a poor month of retail sales growth.
“Not even Valentine’s Day lifted customers out of the gloom, and gifting products that typically sell well, like jewellery and watches, failed to deliver. On the sunnier side, rainy weather did brighten sales of toys, as parents looked for ways to occupy their children indoors.”
Data from the BRC and Sensormatic IQ in late February 2024 revealed that total retail footfall in the UK decreased by 6.2% YoY during the month.
