March was a great month; the sun was shining, flowers were blooming and tills were ringing – but unfortunately the sunny weather didn’t last into April. However, thanks to the hot weather in March, sales in retail commercial properties increased by 1.3 per cent when compared to the same time last year.
The main boost for the sales was purchases in clothes, footwear and outdoor equipment. Speaking of the sales increase, Stephen Robertson, Director General at the British Retail Consortium (BRC), stated: “The unusually warm weather in March brought some welcome sunshine into the lives of non-food retailers.
“The early signs of summer got people buying clothes and shoes for the new season. Gardening items and outdoor leisure also saw a lift.”
The retail market remains extremely competitive, with price wars in many commercial properties. But this improvement in warm weather and people spending in commercial properties will be a welcome boost for the high street, although times remain tough.
Mr Robertson added: “The overall retail environment is still difficult. Discounting remains a key tactic for retailers trying to encourage consumers to spend, particularly on big indoor items.
“The warmth of March was a help but it will take more than a week of sunshine to transform retailers’ fortunes.”
Prior to the Easter break, Helen Dickinson, Head of Retail at KPMG, was pessimistic about the Easter break, as she stated that: “Retailers will be hoping Easter provides a much needed boost but many are not holding their breath. Unfortunately, the sun disappeared and was replaced by rain as we moved into the Easter break. The number of people visiting retail commercial properties fell by 12.5 per cent when compared to Easter 2011 – let’s face it, who wants to walk around the shops in wet weather?
With the number of people visiting shopping complexes and UK town centres over the Easter period down, sales were inevitably plummeting. Sales on Friday fell by 9.0 per cent, whilst Saturday’s sales dropped by 9.6 per cent and Sunday was the worst trading day, with a drop of 11.1 per cent when compared to the previous year.
Speaking of the Easter results, Diane Wehrl, Director at Springboard Research, said: “This is a timely set of results as it shows that there is a real need for some robust measures to protect our vulnerable high streets and initiatives to put the high street back on the national agenda.”
