Clothing Sales Struggle Amidst Subdued Trends

  • Online retail sales grew by 5.2% YoY in April, according to IMRG Capgemini eRetail Sales Index.
  • This is the lowest quarterly growth since Q1 2015 and compares poorly to last year’s performance (+12.5%).
  • Clothing sales saw a slowdown with +6.7% YoY growth (from +9.9% in April 2018).
  • Lingerie and accessories experienced declines of -8.5% and -2.6%, respectively.
  • Home and Garden was the only category to perform well, growing by 13% YoY due to a hot Easter weekend.

Online retail sales growth slowed down in April, with a meager 5.2% year-on-year increase compared to the same period last year’s 12.5%. This marks the lowest quarterly growth since Q1 2015 and continues the trend of subdued growth since early 2019. Clothing sales, in particular, have been struggling with a slowdown from +9.9% to +6.7%, while lingerie and accessories saw declines of -8.5% and -2.6%. Home and Garden was the only category that performed well, growing by 13% YoY due to a hot Easter weekend.

Factuality Level: 8
Factuality Justification: The article provides accurate and objective information about the recent online retail sales figures and compares them to previous years. It also includes expert opinions from industry professionals to provide context and analysis of the data.
Noise Level: 3
Noise Justification: The article provides relevant information about online retail sales growth and specific categories’ performance, with quotes from experts to support the claims. It also offers some context by comparing the results with previous years and discussing ongoing trends in the industry.
Financial Relevance: Yes
Financial Markets Impacted: Online retailers and related companies
Financial Rating Justification: The article discusses the growth rates of online retail sales, which can impact the financial performance of these companies and potentially affect their stock prices in financial markets.
Presence Of Extreme Event: No
Nature Of Extreme Event: Other
Impact Rating Of The Extreme Event: Minor
Extreme Rating Justification: There is no extreme event mentioned in the article, but the article discusses a decline in online retail sales growth which has been ongoing since the start of 2019 and is considered a subdued trend.

Reported publicly: www.retailsector.co.uk