Report Summary

Period covered: 31 October – 27 November 2021

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 (0.00%) and Footwear (0.00%) yet again outperformed in November, against soft comparables. Both categories were ahead of pre-pandemic levels.

With fewer Covid restrictions this November, preparations for social gatherings, parties and Christmas gifting were in full swing, with the performance of formalwear lines gathering pace.

Online hits returns

A marked shift online brings opportunity for retailers that can pivot their businesses to digital, it brings sizeable challenges around the handling of goods and higher returns rates, as fit and fabric finishes can be difficult to convey digitally.

On average, consumers return about 0.00% of the value of their online clothing and footwear purchases, compared to less than 0.00% for store purchases (Retail Economics research with Penningtons Manches Cooper).

But the rate varies significantly by clothing line. Although a recent return to offices and partying has supported clothing sales of late, the change in product mix away from looser fitting casualwear puts pressure on profit margins as returns ramp up.

Amid supply chain disruption, some retailers are under pressure, with forecasts recently downgraded among the likes of Boohoo, Missguided and Joules.

‘Bleak’ Friday

Black Friday had less of an impact this year. Typically an online event, the decline of online sales brought with it a softer backdrop.

Clothing was popular among Black Friday shoppers. But just one in five shoppers took advantage of Black Friday this year, compared to almost a third last year (0.00%, Retail Economics). Retailers struggled to offer similar discounts as in previous years, amid stock challenges and supply-side cost pressure.

With margins under pressure, the retail sales deflator among Clothing & Footwear stores (an inflation measure) stepped up by 0.00% YoY in November.

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Q. What type of products did you purchase during Black Friday? Responses among Black Friday shoppers