According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), retail sales in the UK soared between May and June, as millions embraced the Euro 2020 football tournament.
The event boosted demand for retail, food and drink – and sales rose 0.5% month-on-month following a fall in May. June saw retail sales 9.5% higher than what they were before the pandemic in February 2020.
ONS stated: “Feedback from some retailers suggested that sales were positively boosted in June by the start of the Euro 2020 football championship.”
Online sales remained substantially higher than before the pandemic, however, the total proportion of sales online decreased to 26.7% in June 2021, down from 28.4% in May 2021.
Food store volumes rose 4.2% compared to May, as spending around the Euros boosted trade, but sales of clothing fell by 4.8% and sales in household goods stores was down 10.9%.
High street footfall in the week ending July 17th saw a weekly increase of 3%, its first rise since the start of June.
Industry reaction
Susannah Streeter, senior investment and markets analyst, Hargreaves…
