UK retail sales grew at their fastest rate in more than three years in February, as the drier weather coaxed shoppers back out onto the High Street.
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) said like-for-like retail sales were up 2.7% on the previous year.
That is the fastest rate of like-for-like sales growth since December 2009, the group said.
It said customer demand for electrical goods was the “growth engine” of the High Street.
Saw that. Don’t really believe it. February was about the same as last year. Not very good. Valentine sales, which i think we side blogged at the time, were better, but other general sales were worse.
I’d have expected feb to be even. maybe 0.5%-1% better. But to say strong growth, seems wrong. Possibly its all those people buying up the tail end of comet and HMV. Republic looked as dead today in the three towns i went to, as it did before their 20% off closing down.
And online is about to get a kick in the teeth. Royal Mail packet prices for even the most ordinary of light items, like a torch or a pair of slippers are about to rise 80% in the next two weeks.
And if you buy something, say a jumper, and want to return it. Without free posting it will cost you £5-6.
Going to be a game changer for many an ebay firm
{Actually, probably not. just means they will switch to alternative carriers. their fixed costs are tiny, but so are their profits. A mails price hike is a golden opportunity for the home delivery/collection people .Its an insane price rise from Royal Mail. Forces bulk senders to switch. They very people that a mails business wants to attract- regular, bulk users- it will push into rivals arms. }
Interesting perspective from the resident on the front-line!
Royal Mail are self-defeatingly stupid, and have been for years. They could have modernised to embrace the internet era, instead they constantly try to make money from declining volumes which just drives people away. It’s Cableonomics.
I’m assuming you’ve got your order in for a big screen BE?
Haha not yet!!