Retail sales for furniture, lighting, and flooring experienced a notable decline in April 2025, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Furniture and lighting sales dropped by 20.2% to £1.18bn from £1.48bn in March, marking the lowest monthly total so far this year. Despite this, the figure represents a 7.2% year-on-year increase from £1.10bn in April 2024.
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Historically, April has been a weaker month for sales in this sector, with May typically showing a slight improvement. In recent years, June has consistently delivered strong performances, with a 25.1% jump in 2023 and a 17.5% rise in 2024.
Floorcovering sales also fell sharply in April, down 23.8% to £256.1m from £336.4m in March. Nevertheless, this still marked a 23.4% increase compared to April 2024, which stood at £207.5m. April 2025 figures were the second lowest of the year to date for flooring sales.
Past data suggests that June could bring a rebound, as it has ranked among the top-performing months over the last two years. In 2024 and 2023, June flooring sales reached £263.7m and £241.8m, respectively. Meanwhile, July typically sees a drop-off, with only July 2020 recording growth.
On a weekly basis, April furniture and lighting sales averaged £296.4m, steady with March despite having one fewer week. Floorcovering weekly sales averaged £64m, down from March's £67.2m but significantly higher than the £51.8m in April 2024.
Analysts are watching June closely, with expectations that strong historical performance could drive recovery before the usual summer slowdown.
Source: www.bigfurnituregroup.com