BRC: Lockdowns cost £22bn in lost sales for non-food retailers in UK

Last year was the worst on record for retail sales growth, says British Retail Consortium.

New data from the British Retail Consortium has shown that the UK’s three lockdowns have cost non-food retailers an estimated £22 billion in lost sales.

Last year was the worst on record for retail sales growth with in-store non-food sales falling by 24% compared with 2019, while footfall dropped 40%, according to the BRC.

The trade association is now calling on Chancellor Rishi Sunak for more financial support to help retailers.

“After 2020 proved to be the worst year on record, it is essential that the chancellor uses the spring budget to support those businesses hardest hit by the pandemic,” commented Helen Dickinson, ceo at the BRC. “Vital support in the form of an extension to the business rates relief and moratorium on debt enforcement, as well as removing state aid caps on COVID business grants, would relieve struggling businesses of bills they cannot currently pay and allow them to trade their way to recovery.”

Helen continued: “Tackling the challenge of rates, rents and grants should be the government’s immediate priority to ensuring the survival and revival of non-essential retailers and protecting the jobs of hundreds of thousands of retail workers across the country. The investment we provide to retailers now, will be repaid many times over through more jobs and greater tax revenues in the future.”

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