U.K. retail sales soar as shoppers buy clothes at home

Surveys revealed on Tuesday that British retail sales soared as shoppers bought clothes at home amid the reopening of shops in the United Kingdom.

According to the British Retail Consortium, total sales for the month of April went 7.3% higher than in the same period two years ago.

The BRC reported that comparisons with April 2019 gave a better sense of trends in the sector than its usual year-on-year sales measure which showed a jump of more than 50%.  BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson said fashion retailers boomed in sales, particularly in outerwear and knitwear, with consumers braving the cold spring weather to meet outdoors as pubs and restaurants partially reopened from April 12.

Aside from fashion retailers, Furniture sales also spiked. The rise in furniture sales was attributed to the Work-From-Home setup. Residential property sales were also up.

Meanwhile, Barclaycard’s measure of consumer confidence in the economy improved to 36% in April from 28% in March.