Spending on home improvements and garden furniture in February, in preparation for next week’s outdoor social resume, helped the sales sector recover slightly during the UK’s third lockout.
Retail sales rose 2.1% in February from the previous month but the industry continued to struggle, with all non-essential high street stores remaining closed.
The Office for National Statistics said a partial recovery from an 8.2% decline in January kept sales in the sales sector 3.7% lower than a year earlier and would have fallen further without a kick in online sales at department stores.
City economists had expected a smaller annual fall of 3.5%.
Jonathan Athow, ONS deputy national statistician for economic statistics, said: “Despite national constraints, retail sales have recovered to some extent since their January hit.
“Food and department stores have benefited from essential sales staying open, with end-of-budget department stores seeing more sales.
“Household products also thrived, with feedback suggesting that spending on home improvement and outdoor products encouraged sales as consumers prepared to reduce lock-in discounts.
“However, clothing stores are still struggling with sales falling by more than half the pre-release level. ”
Analysts said this fall was offset by inflation data released earlier in the week, which showed fashion outlets had reduced prices later in February following a sharp fall in inflation. the sale in January.
James Smith, an economist at ING, said: “With the country still locked up, this is not surprising, and it is worth noting that total sales are down by only around 4% on pre-virus levels, a significant improvement on the we saw it last spring.
“Experience with locksmiths also tells us that it can only take a few weeks for them to sell back – or exceed – pre-virus levels once shops open. ”
With many shop owners, and especially those in charge of high street sales, saying they are on the verge of collapse, the numbers showed that online sales were declining. keeping the sector afloat, with the share of online sales rising to 37.9% after a 4.6% increase since January.
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Lynda Petherick, head of sales at consulting firm Accenture UKI, said February figures show early signs of clearer days ahead for retailers.
“However, we are still a long way from recovering from numbers compared to this time last year. With the April re-opening date for non-essential sales still on the cards, sellers are planning how they can make the most of pent-up consumer demand in the spring and further away. “
The impact of the third UK lock-in on the economy had not been as severe as the 22% fall in the first lock in April last year after most British employers switched to working on- line.
The government is expected to allow all non-essential shops to open on April 12, as part of their policy to gradually open the economy between now and June.