High Street Sales Tracker

The BDO High Street Sales Tracker (HSST) is the UK’s leading weekly retail performance index for discretionary spend, tracking sales data from retailers across both stores and online. It offers a real-time view of trading conditions, excluding the impact of large grocery chains, which forms the basis for essential spend, therefore providing an accurate benchmark.

The results are closely followed by industry and city analysts, and leading retailers which use the results to benchmark their own performance across fashion, lifestyle and homeware.

 

MARCH  2025 REPORT

Sector insights

As one of the UK’s most trusted and recognised retail barometers, the HSST offers a comprehensive view of consumer spending patterns. By contributing, you’ll gain exclusive access to valuable benchmarking insights at no cost, helping you track industry trends and compare performance against your peers.

The BDO HSST provides a sector-specific breakdown of retail performance:

  • Fashion: Clothing, footwear, and accessories.
  • Lifestyle: general household goods, gifts, health & beauty, leisure goods.
  • Homewares: cookware, furniture & floor coverings, lighting, linen & textiles.
  • Non-store Retail: Online sales and mail order.

Find out how your sales compare

Why the HSST Matters

  • Trusted by Retailers & Analysts: Used by leading retailers to benchmark performance and make data-driven decisions.
  • Essential for investors & media: Followed closely by financial analysts and the retail press to track market movements.
  • Exclusive & confidential: Weekly reporting available only to contributing retailers for precise market insights.

Why join?

  • It’s quick and easy – just three simple percentage figures each week, comparing revenue changes year-on-year.
  • Stay informed – receive a weekly report packed with insights into spending patterns across fashion, lifestyle, and homeware.
  • Confidentiality assured – all contributions are completely anonymous, ensuring your data remains secure, and we never share the names of our contributors.

Additional weekly benchmarking data is also provided exclusively to contributing retailers.

For more information, to access a previous edition or to contribute to the High Street Sales Tracker, please contact highstreetsalestracker@bdo.co.uk.

Find out more about our services for the retail industry.

Joining the Tracker

As a retailer in the current turbulent economic climate, it has never been more important for you to know how you are performing and benchmark your results.

Since 2006, the BDO HSST has been a leading sales index for retailers benchmarking like for like sales performance within the sector. It is, a vital tool for any retailer, and the insights have proved to be invaluable across many other industries and competitors.

The HSST is a confidential, weekly exchange of like for like sales results between retailers, providing busy retail management teams with accurate performance information in a timely manner.

The HSST is a valuable business tool for retailers; contributors to the index receive the latest discretionary sales data and insight on a weekly basis.

As a contributing retailer, the index provides you with a number of advantages, including:

  • Receiving weekly Insights to power informed decision-making
  • Tracking your performance against the industry average.
  • Identifying strong and weak trading periods for better forecasting.
  • Enabling retailers to make faster, data-backed decisions and react in an informed way to market trends and sales fluctuations.

As a contributing retailer, you’ll gain access to exclusive weekly insights on how your sales compare to industry peers. This data is not publicly available and offers a competitive advantage in understanding market trends.

Becoming a contributor

  1. Submit your sales data weekly
    • Monday, email your weekly percentage change in UK turnover to BDO.
    • Figures reflect like-for-like sales performance from the same period the previous year. Example:
      1. Store fashion sales: +6.9%
      2. Non-store fashion sales: +2.3%
      3. Total store and non-store fashion sales: +4.6%
  2. Confidential & secure benchmarking
    • Your data is anonymised and ranked for maximum confidentiality.
  3. Receive exclusive insights every Tuesday afternoon
    • Compare your sales performance against the wider retail market.
    • Identify emerging trends, strengths, and potential risks early.

Become a contributor

Each Monday, members email their Sales Tracker percentage for the previous week to highstreetsalestracker@bdo.co.uk. The number will reflect the percentage increase in turnover, from current outlets that were open in the comparative week in the previous year. BDO collates respondents' results and lists them in descending order of value for maximum confidentiality. Therefore, each participant is aware of their own figure and is able to benchmark their performance against their peers.We will then create an average figure for the week and circulate the results to all participants on a no-name basis.

Weekly High Street Sales Tracker Reports are received by participants every Tuesday.

With one of the largest market penetrations of the retail sector playing a leading role through advising many of the UK's retail businesses. We have strong links with the retail community in the UK and internationally allowing us to deliver the best possible service.

We provide advisory, transaction and assurance services and our partners are renowned for their commercial and pragmatic approach to solving problems.

Subscribe to HSST

  • Each Friday, you will receive the latest weekly retail insights directly to your inbox.
  • Stay informed with real-time market data on sector performance.
  • Ideal for investors, analysts, and media professionals.

Sign up for Free HSST reports


Join as a contributing retailer

  • Each Tuesday, you will have access to confidential weekly benchmarks tailored for your business.
  • Compare performance against competitors & the wider market.
  • Gain exclusive insights that non-contributors don’t receive.

Join the Tracker

If should you have any questions about the Tracker or you would like to join, please contact highstreetsalestracker@bdo.co.uk.

Access the High Street Sales Tracker archive.

2025

High Street Sales Tracker - January

High Street Sales Tracker - February

2024

High Street Sales Tracker - January

High Street Sales Tracker - February

High Street Sales Tracker - March

High Street Sales Tracker - April

High Street Sales Tracker - May

High Street Sales Tracker - June

High Street Sales Tracker - July

High Street Sales Tracker - August

High Street Sales Tracker - September

High Street Sales Tracker - October

High Street Sales Tracker - November

High Street Sales Tracker - December

2023

High Street Sales Tracker - January

High Street Sales Tracker - February

High Street Sales Tracker - March

High Street Sales Tracker - April

High Street Sales Tracker - May

High Street Sales Tracker - June

High Street Sales Tracker - July

High Street Sales Tracker - August

High Street Sales Tracker - September

High Street Sales Tracker - October

High Street Sales Tracker - November

High Street Sales Tracker - December

Related Insights