BDO news and archive

Christmas fails to boost retail sales in December

The crucial ‘Golden Quarter’ has failed to boost retail sales according to data from the latest High Street Sales Tracker from accountancy and business advisory firm, BDO, with sales marking a decline in December 2025. Total retail sales across discretionary spend categories fell by -1.4 percent in December, compared to the same month last year,...

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Fashion contributes to moderate UK retail growth ahead of golden quarter

The UK retail sector recorded a moderate but positive performance in September, with total like-for-like (LFL) sales across discretionary categories – including fashion, homewares, and lifestyle – growing by +3.1%. This growth comes ahead of the critical 'Golden Quarter' trading period, offering a cautiously optimistic outlook despite a strong...

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BDO: UK Fashion leads retail growth with double-digit surge

The UK retail sector is experiencing a sustained period of growth, with total like-for-like (LFL) sales climbing by a significant +7.59% this week, building on a strong +15.95% base from the previous year. This positive momentum extends across all segments and channels, marking six consecutive weeks of growth for both in-store and non-store...

Retail

UK online sales continue to grow while high street sales flatline

Total like-for-like UK retail sales in discretionary categories, such as fashion, homewares and lifestyle, remained below inflation in June, compared to a positive base of +3.2 percent in June 2024, according to the latest High Street Sales Tracker from accountancy and business advisory firm BDO. This was driven largely by low sales growth in...

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December sales boost fails to save UK retail’s “Golden Quarter”

Christmas fails to save 2024 trading, as new data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and KPMG International reveals that UK total retail sales for the year increased by just 0.7 percent from 2023, while non-food declined by 1.5 percent. For the three months to December, known as the “Golden Quarter,” sales growth was 0.4 percent...

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Retailers witness six months of negative sales

Total in-store and online sales fell 2.2 percent in March, marking the sixth consecutive month of negative sales results, according to new data from BDO’s High Street Sales Tracker. According to BDO data, the last six months mark the longest consecutive period of negative growth outside of the Covid-19 pandemic. In-store sales were down 1.8...

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UK's retail sector witnesses fifth month of negative sales in February

Total in-store and online sales fell 1.3 percent in February, marking the fifth consecutive month of negative sales results, according to new data from BDO’s High Street Sales Tracker. BDO research found that the fashion and homewares sectors both performed very poorly, with like-for-like sales declining 4.8 percent and 4.1 percent respectively....

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UK's retail sector witnesses fourth consecutive month of negative sales

Total like-for-like retail sales fell 0.8 percent in January across discretionary spend categories, according to new data from accountancy and business advisory firm BDO’s High Street Sales Tracker. This marks the fourth successive negative sales performance since October 2023 after a poor performance for retail’s crucial ‘golden quarter’....

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‘Golden Quarter’ fails to add shine to the UK retail sector

The retail sector recorded its worst December performance since at least 2017, ending the year with negative like-for-like sales figures in all three months of the crucial ‘Golden Quarter’, according to new data from accountancy and business advisory firm BDO. BDO’s High Street Sales Tracker, recorded a fall of 2.7 percent for total...

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Inflation bites into UK's post pandemic retail recovery

New data tracking the UK’s retail sales shows the high street is at its lowest growth since the pandemic. Figures from BDO’s High Street Sales Tracker show like for like sales increased by 8.4 percent in June, the lowest since February 2021. Footfall was down 10.5 percent in June compared to three years previously, with soaring inflation,...

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Fashion segment fuels UK sales growth in March, footfall gradually improves

The fashion segment was the standout performer in the UK last month as consumers continued to splash out on new outfits post lockdown. Fashion total like-for-like sales increased by 87 percent last month from a base of 57.5 percent the same month a year earlier. It was the only category to record positive non-store like-for-like sales in March....

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UK fashion sales soar in May

Fashion sales in the UK soared last month, falling just short of an all-time high, in what was the first full month of stores being open post-lockdown, new data shows. Total like-for-like fashion sales jumped 83.3 percent last month compared to a baseline of -22.6 percent for May last year, according to BDO’s latest High Street Sales Tracker. It...