Flooring retailers saw an annual sales increase last year, despite the pandemic and lockdowns.
Office for National Statistics figures tracking the average weekly retail sales of flooring revealed an overall increase of 3.41%, despite stores being closed for long parts of the year.
October saw the highest sales since March 2008, and was the fifth highest sales figures since at least January 1986, behind November 1996’s average weekly sales of £59,581,000; November 1995 £58,967,000; November 1997 £58,737,000 and March 2008 £58,081,000.
March, April, May and December recorded the lowest sales figures since at least January 1986, when December 2015 had average weekly sales of £22,492,000.
The average weekly sales for each month were:
January: £22,982,000 -14.03%
February: £27,762,000 -0.45%
March: £21,203,000 -22.5%
April: £6,970,000 -75.83%
May: £5,965,000 -79.23%
June: £23,804,000 -15.15%
July: £35,335,000 +21.46%
August: £34,189,000 +21.33%
September: £43,063,000 +53.28%
October: £58,037,000 +65.34%
November £35,640,000 -6.34%
December: £21,978,000 -20.22%.
The figures do not take inflation into account, with widespread prices increases being reported since the summer.
