Online retailers take £10bn in a bumper November
ONLINE retailers took over £10bn of sales in November, a new monthly record that raises further fears that high street retailers have been left behind in the key Christmas trading period.
Online retail sales jumped by 30 per cent in November compared with the previous month – the highest monthly increase in 10 years.
This comes after worrying figures from the British Retail Consortium and Springboard yesterday, showing high street footfall fell 4.2 per cent in November compared with the same month last year.
December is the often the busiest and most crucial sales period for retailers, with many generating the majority of their annual profits within the winter quarter.
Footfall across the West End, London’s key shopping district, was also down a disappointing 4.1 per cent last week from the same time last year, suggesting consumers are either leaving their shopping to the last minute or choosing to buy most of their goods online.
However, IMRG and Capgemini’s figures show that retailers with both a high street and online presence fared better, with sales up 23 per cent compared to 16 per cent for pure online brands.
The launch of new budget tablet devices fuelled growth, with sales of electricals up 63 per cent.