UK discretionary retail sales fall 1.6% in April, says BDO

LONDON, May 1 (Reuters) - British ​discretionary ⁠retail like-for-like sales slid ​1.6% year-on-year in April, their weakest April performance ​in ‌a decade outside the pandemic, data from ⁠accountancy and business advisory firm ⁠BDO showed ​on Friday.

Weak consumer confidence and rising living costs continued to weigh on spending, with sales ​falling ‌across fashion, home wares and lifestyle for the first time since March 2018.

“It’s hard to overstate just ​how difficult April has been for retailers," ‌said Sophie Michael, BDO's head of retail and wholesale, noting the ‌month typically sees a seasonal lift.

* Rising fuel prices due to the ​Iran war impacted household budgets, driving up the cost ‌of essentials from a high base.

* British retailers reported the sharpest year-on-year decline ⁠in ⁠sales in more than ‌40 years as the Iran war stoked inflation fears, ​a ​survey from the Confederation ‌of British Industry showed.

* Clothing chain Primark said April trading has been soft. (Reporting by James Davey Editing by Bernadette Baum)

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