HAMMERSON PLC 03.08.2015
Hammerson's Retail Tracker (HART)*, which monitors sales activity across its shopping centres, has seen sales rise 2.9% in the four weeks to 18th July 2015. Heralding the start of the school holiday season, sales in the toys andgames category have been particularly strong, with retro collections including Star Wars memorabilia and My Little Pony proving standout bestsellers.
HART also recorded a sharp spike in sales in the seven days leading up to 18th July, up 5.4%, with the restaurant and leisure category benefitting from the holiday season and Eid celebrations. In the seven day period, the following categories performed particularly well on a LfL basis:
Bumper sales of toys and games
Signalling the start of the summer holidays, Hammerson's shopping centres experienced a 20.8% rise in sales of toys and games. In anticipation of the December 2015 film premiere, "Star Wars: Episode V11 - The Force Awakens", Star Wars toys are already flying off the shelves. Thunderbirds and My Little Pony figurines are also particularly popular.
Jewellery continues its strong run
Underlining the continuing strength of consumer confidence across the regions, jewellery sales rose by 10.3%, with charm bracelets and luxury watches selling especially well at Brent Cross and Cabot Circus.
Diners made the most of the weather, and festival of Eid boosted family feasting
The festival of Eid, marking the end of Ramadan, provided an opportunity for Muslim families across the UK to get together and celebrate. Restaurants continued to attract visitors with sales up 11.7% during the warm summer spell. Riverside dining at The Oracle shopping centre was especially popular with shoppers, and many consumers stocked up for picnics on "The Beach" pop-up at Brent Cross.
Commenting on the results from HART, CEO David Atkins said:
"Blockbusters such as Star Wars are often instrumental in driving wider retail trends and it is really quite astounding how early this correlation has begun.
"It is pleasing that overall sales have remained strong across our regional portfolio. With consumers now feeling the benefit of continued low inflation, meaningful wage growth and low food and commodity prices, confidence is at levels not seen since the 1990s; and we are hopeful that this sales growth momentum will continue."
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