The recent hot weather has given a boost to UK retail sales, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This was a welcome relief from soggy April after sales dropped by 2.3 per cent. But with three weeks of rain forecast, will consumers be avoiding commercial properties in June in a bid to keep dry?
A 1.2 per cent rise in monthly retail sales was predicted but May topped this with a sales increase of 1.4 per cent, mainly helped by “The end of weeks of relentless rain and the build-up to the Jubilee,” according to Stephen Robertson, Director General at the British Retail Consortium (BRC).
Steven added: “The seemingly shy sunshine, hardly seen since March, had created pent-up demand for summer goods which was finally unleashed.
“Modest sales of coats and carpets gave way to much better sales of T-shirts and barbecues as interest finally turned outdoors.”
So it seems that the hot weather does entice people out of their homes and into retail commercial properties. But with June set to be similar to April and another wet month, are sales figures set to fall again? Bryan Roberts from Kantar Retail, is not so pessimistic: “I’m pretty optimistic based on these latest figures that things are getting better.”
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