Markets / DATA & RESEARCH / May.30

Furniture stores positive about May

Balance of +73% report rising sales

The first two weeks of May started well for retailers with furniture and carpet sellers among the most positive, according to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI).

Its Distributive Trades Survey, this month answered by 128 companies including 67 retailers, is the first of the monthly business surveys on retail sales. The BRC's monitor comes next week.

A balance of +73 per cent of furniture and carpet stores were positive about May sales, saying orders had risen compared to the same period last year. That compared with +21 per cent of all retailers reporting rising sales.

Sentiment for the future was also decent, with a balance of +3 per cent saying they expected sales to be positive in the next three months, the best result since November last year.

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