Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
The latest quarterly sales figures reported by members of the British Independent Retailers Association (Bira) show an average fall in sales of -2.94% compared with same three months in 2018.
Scotland saw the sharpest fall in the UK compared with April, May and June in 2018. East Anglia was the only region reporting that sales had increased marginally, by an average of 1.32%.
The best-performing sector was Cookshop and Housewares, which posted a 2.41% uplift. In contrast, Gifts, Glass, China, Accessories and Luggage saw the biggest fall of -6.75%, closely followed by Pet Products and Cards; and Stationery, Crafts and Hobbies. Both sectors reported a -5.4% reduction in sales.
Bira ceo Andrew Goodacre commented: “These results reflect the testing times that independent retail is facing. However, independent business owners are nothing if not resilient – and they will continue to fight and develop to save themselves.
“One of the greatest things about being independent is that they can be nimble and change quickly to adapt to changing trends, unlike bigger retailers. This gives independent retailers an edge, and we are seeing lots of our members diversifying to allow them to offer products and services that shoppers need to come to the high street for and can’t just buy online.”
Bira ceo Andrew Goodacre
