UK retail sector suffers record decline, says ONS

Coronavirus: Lockdown hits clothing but sales of food and alcohol rise

UK retail sales fell by over 5% during March as many stores shut due to the coronavirus lockdown. Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveal the steepest sales fall since it started collecting the data in 1996.

In March 2020, the monthly retail sales volume fell sharply by 5.1%. This the largest fall since the ONS series began as many stores ceased trading from 23 March following official government guidance during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

In March 2020, clothing store sales saw a sharp fall when compared with the previous month, at negative 34.8%.

Food stores and non-store retailing were the only sectors to show growth in the monthly volume series in March 2020, with food stores seeing the strongest growth on record, at 10.4%. Food sales rose as households stocked up and restaurants closed.

Online sales as a proportion of all retailing reached a record high of 22.3% in March 2020 as consumers switched to online purchasing following the pandemic.

In the three months to March 2020, retail sales volume fell by 1.6% when compared with the previous three months, with strong declines in non-food stores and fuel.

The first few months of the year have seen several high street brands go into administration, including Debebhams, Cath Kitson, Oasis and Warehouse.