Bexit is already impacting the high street. According to the figures released by accountancy firm BDO reveal a 3.6 per cent decline in year-on-year sales in June - the worst in more than a decade.
The fashion sector experienced its second lowest monthly figure so far this year, as sales fell 4.9 per cent compared to June 2015. Homewares were hit, too, dropping 6 per cent year-on-year, while lifestyle goods inched down by 0.2 per cent.
BDO data showed that overall sales grew 3.8 per cent year-on-year in the first week of June. But the aftermath of Brexit bruised retailers as the month wore on, plunging 3.1 per cent in the second week as consumers started to worry. By the final week of June - two days after the referendum - sales were down 8.1 per cent year-on-year.
Incidentally, June marked the fifth month in a row that the British high street reported negative growth. But it was the first time in almost a year that lifestyle, fashion and homewares all recorded declines in the same month. According to the latest BRC-Nielsen Shop Price Index, June was also the 38th month of deflation in the U.K.
According to Sophie Michael, head of retail and wholesale at BDO, many retailers may have hedged against the falling pound for the short term, but if sterling stays at these levels, the cost of importing goods and further erosion to margin may need to be passed onto the consumer.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
Industrial automation and AI take center stage at Garment Technology Expo (GTE) …
The conclusion of the 39th Garment Technology Expo (GTE 2026) in Greater Noida has signalled a decisive shift in South... Read more
The End of Geographic Masking: Shein and peers reclaim Made in China as a strate…
The era of the corporate ghost is ending. For years, the world’s most aggressive retail disruptors operated under ambiguity, relocating... Read more
$120 Crude, Zero Margin: How India’s textile hubs are paying the price
For India’s textile clusters, the current West Asia crisis is no longer a distant geopolitical headline. In Surat’s polyester corridors... Read more
Luxury under pressure as stagflation and geopolitics redefine the winners’ circl…
The 2025 earnings for Europe’s listed luxury majors have delivered a verdict that has far more implications than the prevailing... Read more
Luxury resale goes global, sneakers, handbags, archival fashion redrawing border…
The luxury resale market in 2026 is no longer a monolithic global block. According to the RB Insights January 2026... Read more
China out but can India deliver? The realities of the global sourcing shift
With the US imposing a flat 15 per cent tariff on Chinese imports under Section 122 as of February 2026,... Read more
Luxury in Retreat: Why the aspirational consumer is gone for good
The global luxury industry is confronting an unprecedented situation. The active consumer base, which peaked at 400 million in 2022,... Read more
The Invisible Bleed: How a single chemical is slowing India’s apparel machine
The global fashion industry has spent the better part of the past two years obsessing over visible disruptions viz. volatile... Read more
The Closet Paradox: How ‘nothing to wear’ is driving global overconsumption
In an era of overflowing wardrobes and instant fashion gratification, a striking paradox has emerged: the more clothes we own,... Read more
US trade rulings and labor slowdown reshape 2026 cotton supply chains
The global cotton industry is entering a period of adjustment, shaped by legal rulings, trade policy recalibrations, and a softening... Read more












