Despite the reported doom and gloom, High Street stores enjoyed a 6.7% rise in the volume of products sold this March compared with March 2018, the latest Office of National Statistics Retail figures have revealed.
But before High Street stores rest on their laurels, home delivery expert ParcelCompare points out that was against terrible shopping weather last year as the Beast From the East snow storm dug in. And it also cautions that online sales volumes rose even more steeply year on year – by 12.4%.
ParcelCompare’s head of consumer research, David Jink, said: “It’s good to see signs that the High Street is capable of holding its own against the rise of e-commerce. A 6.7% rise in sales volumes against last March is certainly to be celebrated. But town centre stores should hold the Champagne, as online sales also grew at nearly twice the rate.”
The only High Street losers in March were Britain’s troubled department stores, where sales actually fell 0.3% YOY.
