Supermarkets see sharp fall in sales of clothing as demand for food soars

Supermarkets saw the sale of clothing items fall by 28.4% after measures were put in place to help stop the spread of coronavirus earlier this year.

The figure compares to a rise of 3.3% in March 2019, according to an Office for National Statistics report.

Following lockdown in March, those leaving their homes were warned that it must only be to buy essential items. Clothing sales suffered as a result of this.

When lockdown was first put in place, a supermarket was one of the few places people could go to. This resulted in increase in sales for some products such as alcohol and ice cream.

People spent more on food because it was one of the small luxuries during the pandemic.

Food sales went up by 15.3% in March 2020 due to the panic buying that took place early on in lockdown so that people could avoid leaving their homes as frequently.

Household goods and non-food items also saw an increase in sales by 18% and 16.4% in March this year. This was a strong growth from the previous March when the sales for these items rose by just 1% and 4.2% and such a big jump in sales could indicate stockpiling prior to the lockdown as a reason.

Cleaning chemicals were among the household items people rushed to buy at supermarkets, with anti-bacterial products to counter the virus selling out. Toilet rolls also notoriously went out of stock quickly in the UK due to people panic buying and stockpiling.

Some small food stores shut early on in the coronavirus outbreak which could also explain the reason for an increase in sales in certain areas.