How's the retail sector looking?

ended 20. May 2021

Tomorrow (Friday) morning at 07:00 the Office for National Statistics is publishing its retail sales data for April. This is the first official snapshot of activity levels last month. We're therefore seeking the views of smaller retailers (bricks and mortar/online/hybrid), which we will send to your local and also the national media. Questions to answer include, e.g.

  • What was your experience of sales in April (and May to date)?
  • Are people spending more, or less, than you anticipated? And why?
  • How do you think things are going to be later in the year when the Government withdraws all support measures?
  • How do you see the future of the UK high street?

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Please select yourself as an expert before you publish your response or we can't use your comments (they have to be attributed to a human being!).

2 responses from the Newspage community

Premium
Ruth Bradford
Owner/founder/creator at The Little Black & White Book Project
"April was quiet and so far May has been even slower but I am still optimistic. Around 1800 babies are born every day in the UK so I feel I am well placed to weather the inevitable economic storms coming later in the year. "I hope that the UK high street will bounce back with more diversity. "Small brands such as mine are increasingly partnering with independent retailers now that some of the retail giants are no longer dominating the space. "All we can do is stay nimble and keep evolving as the situation changes."
Dr Jackie Mulligan
Founder at ShopAppy
"In April, there was a perfect combination of pent-up demand and savings to spend. "Brits in lockdown said they wanted to spend over half their money locally when the high street reopens, so it will be good to see that pan out. "Sustaining local recovery will rely on customers continuing to support local and understanding that shopping local is for life, not just for lockdown."