Retail sales rose in May as ecommerce sales drove growth but food stores suffered amid the reopening of hospitality venues.
According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), total sales jumped 24.6% compared to the same month a year ago when trading was impacted by the first national lockdown.
On a month-on-month basis, sales volumes slipped 1.4% in May. Pent-up demand had driven a spike in sales during April when trading restrictions on non-essential retailers were eased.
The ONS said the “largest contribution” to that decline came from food stores where sales fell 5.7% in May compared to the previous month.
It suggested that the easing of trading restrictions on hospitality operators impacted grocery retailers’ sales, as consumers returned to restaurants and bars.
Non-food stores, by contrast, grew sales 2.3% month-on-month. Stores selling household goods, including furniture and hardware, reported the strongest growth as sales advanced 9% compared to April levels.
The proportion of retail sales made online remained “substantially higher” than they were prior to the coronavirus crisis, the ONS added. However, food was the only sector not to face a month-on-month decline in online sales in May, as shoppers returned to physical stores.
The total proportion of retail sales made online dipped to 28.5% in May, compared to 29.8% in April.
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