UK Clothing & Footwear Sector Report summary
May 2025
Period covered: Period covered: 06 April – 03 May 2025
3 minute read
Note: This report summary is one or two months behind the current month as standard reporting practice. The content is indicative only and incomplete with certain data undisclosed. Become a member to access this data or take out a free 30 day membership trial now.
Clothing & Footwear Sales
Clothing sales rose by xx% YoY, while Footwear sales rose xx% YoY in April, according to the Retail Economics Retail Sales Index (value, non-seasonally adjusted).
Clothing inflation fell by xx% YoY (ONS) as retailers launched early summer sales.
Key sales drivers
Clothing & Footwear sales’ performance in April reflects several upside (+) and downside (-) factors including:
Sunny weather(+): Met Office weather summaries reported the sunniest April for the UK since records began, and the driest April in four years, with just over half the rain usually expected. The warm, dry weather encouraged shoppers out of the house, with footfall rising across all destinations.
Easter holidays(+): The timing of the Easter holidays made for a favourable comparative in 2025, with last year’s falling in March. The long weekend and school holidays boosted spend in clothing and footwear, as well as in other categories.
Increased bills (-): Consumers continued to operate in a constrained environment, however, with water and energy bills both increasing in April, contributing to a jump in inflation – the headline rate reached xx% in April. With higher costs, shoppers continue to manage their budgets carefully.
Signs of optimism
April trading beat expectations as sunny weather, the Easter calendar shift and holiday-driven spending conspired to encourage trade.
Footfall was up xx% across all destinations (MRI Software), driven by a xx% uplift in retail park activity.
The positive conditions were reflected in updates from retailers including Next, which reported sales up xx% in the 13 weeks to 26 April, £xx ahead of forecast.
The bellwether retailer sounded a note of caution, however, stating that Q1’s overperformance was likely the result of sunny weather pulling forward sales from Q2.
While April’s strong performance was a welcome one, many of the factors that made it a success were one-offs, and it remains to be seen as to whether the momentum can be maintained in Q2.
Continued caution
Consumers also continue to operate in a challenging environment, with April bringing increased water and energy bills and with inflation increasing to xx% as a result.
Consumer confidence fell to -xx during the month, likely in response to the inflation jump and to Donald Trump’s tariffs which continue to drive global economic uncertainty.
Confidence has since edged back up to -xx in May, but shoppers continue to budget carefully and exhibit value-driven behaviours.
Economic outlook
The ONS GDP figures brought good news in the form of a monthly xx% increase in March, and quarterly growth of xx% in Q1 – the highest among the G7 nations and up from xx% in Q4 2024.
The Bank of England cut interest rates to xx% in a bid to counter the uncertainty caused by Trump’s tariff war and encourage continued spending and investment in the face of higher tariffs.
While the higher-than-expected jump in inflation may make future cuts harder to justify, more cuts are expected in 2025.
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Clothing and Footwear year-on-year growth
Source: Retail Economics Retail Sales Index, value, non-seasonally adjusted
