Sales of school uniforms surge ahead of reopening

Sales of goods such as school uniforms and computers surged in February after the government published its plans to ease lockdown.

The British Retail Consortium said it contributed to total UK retail sales rising by 9.5% year-on-year during the month, following a tough January.

Valentine’s Day also boosted the figures as locked-down couples splashed out at their local supermarkets.

But the BRC warned the coming months would be challenging.

“Many retail businesses will be hoping that customers will return to shops, and have spent hundreds of millions on making their premises Covid-secure, but previous reopenings have shown that demand can be slow to come back,” said BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson OBE.

According to the Office for National Statistics, retail sales were 5.5% lower in January than they were before the pandemic began as swathes of shops remained shut due to Covid restrictions.

But the BRC said the prime minister’s roadmap to reopening the economy, published on 22 February, had prompted a “burst in spending” last month.

Its indicative figures suggest sales of non-food items jumped by 82% online during the month, although they fell sharply in stores due to closures.

Demand for technology, furniture and home accessories climbed, while sales of school uniforms rose as parents prepared to send their children back to school.

Food sales also continued to grow as supermarkets and grocers picked up business from non-essential shops that remained shut. Sales were up 7.6% in the three months to February.

KPMG, which helped produce the figures, said the vaccination rollout and lockdown roadmap offered a “light at the end of the tunnel” for non-essential retailers.

“High streets will be counting down the weeks until they can finally open their doors and hoping consumers swap their slippers for trainers as they start to hit the shops,” said Paul Martin, KPMG’s head of retail.

“Although the Budget threw retailers a short-term lifeline with the extension of Covid support packages until after the summer, conditions will continue to be incredibly challenging as they face subdued demand, thinner margins and rising logistics costs, alongside the accelerated structural changes to the sector.

“All hopes will be pinned on consumers wanting to break free from home to browse the stores that have been out of bounds for months.”