I don't know what he's talking about, our Jinksy, but he's a regular, and I don't have any other PR emails to cover. So ...
There was plenty of good news for Britain's beleaguered High Street retailers in July's Office of National Statistics (ONS) retail figures released today, says the e-commerce delivery expert ParcelHero. The latest statistics reveal sales values rose 4.4% over June, with the amount of sales actually 3% up on February's pre-Thing levels. In contrast to clothing stores' 11.9% growth, online sales fell back by 7%, compared to the previous month.
Released today? Er ... not today, no. This email is from last week. Voice? Oh, he's not here yet.
ParcelHero says these figures show that it is physical store sales that are now leading retail's recovery. Even though the online sales juggernaut has slowed down, however, that doesn't mean the future of town centre stores is secure. ParcelHero's Head of Consumer Research, David Jinks MILT, says:
What does he say, our hero? Come on, Jinksy!
"At last, High Street retailers have some news to celebrate. Non-food store sales grew 10% in July, with fashion stores leading the charge with an 11.9% growth. Household goods stores actually rose an impressive 6% against pre-Thing levels in February. All this is hugely encouraging and shows consumers still want to visit physical stores if they can feel safe."
Well, yeah, I want to get some new Timberland boots, but ... I'll have to walk to Shepherd's Bush. I'm not getting on a bus. 'Get on a bus, boss!' Oh, hello, Voice. No, I'm not getting on a bus, man. I don't like wearing masks, so I go to as few places as possible which require masks. And that's buses, trains, shops - 'How do you get your food then?' I go to the supermarket twice a week, and I wear a mask, but that's no bother for ten minutes. 'Get your boots online.' I don't want to order them online. They might send me the wrong size. There's a lot of confusion with the size of these Timbs, you know. American size or British size. 'Oh.' It's just a lot of hassle I don't need at the moment.
I CAN'T STAND NORMAL EVERYDAY LIFE - !!!
Anyway ...
"However, any retailer who still thinks online sales are an extra - not a key part - of their overall sales strategy shouldn't get too smug. Online sales are still an enormous 50.4% higher than they were in February before The Thing hit the UK. These latest figures show that e-commerce gobbled 28.9% of all retail sales in the UK. That's a drop from a peak of 31.9% at the height of lockdown, but still significantly more than the 20% of all sales achieved in February before The Thing hit. This recovery remains fragile, and fears of a second-wave of The Thing, once children return to school, could quickly halt the progress seen in July."
Okay, okay. Thanks, Jinksy!
ENDS
...
Anything else? Music? My music?!
Yeah, yeah. I'm still going to write about my music, kook(s). I was just angry on Friday because that new song didn't work out. Never mind, eh? / I still want two more songs like Stella and, and ... And Rain Came Down. I want them by the end of September. I'm super pissed off at the moment. After those two, I'll finish We'll Show Them Heaven. That will give me my BIG TEN. Then I'll try to write five more small songs ... quickly! Songs like Lucky You and Round The Bend. That will give me a total of twenty songs. The Stone Roses built their whole career on roughly twenty songs. I just need twenty as a base, you dig? Then I can build from there.
Oh, I was reading the other day ... various comments online, like, fans of The Killers, yes, saying the band has saved 2020 with their great new album. I was curious, so I listened to one of the singles, My Own Soul's Warning. And it's good ... I suppose. But nothing for me to be worried about.
I must get those two songs! Forget last week!
Laters.
