UK retail sales in January were flat on a like-for-like basis from January 2019, when they had increased 1.8% from the preceding year.
That’s according to the BRC–KPMG Retail Sales Monitor for January 2020.
Over the three months to January, Food sales decreased 0.1% on a like-for-like basis and increased 0.6% on a total basis. This is below the 12-month total average growth of 1.2%, the lowest since February 2017.
Over the three-months to January, Non-Food retail sales in the UK decreased by 1.5% on a like-for-like and 1.3% on a total basis. This is in line with the 12-month total average. For the month of January, Non-Food was in slight growth year-on-year.
Paul Martin, KPMG’s UK Head of Retail, commented: “January is usually a quieter month for retail, and although static sales might not appear triumphant, at least it is no further deterioration.
“Grocery sales – while still growing – were noticeably muted. This continues a trend we observed at the end of 2019, which could indicate more significant structural changes to the sector.”
