ONS: Warm Weather Lifted Retail Sales In June

The ONS has published retail sales data for June 2025.

Key points:

• Retail sales volumes (quantity bought) are estimated to have risen by 0.9% in June 2025, following a fall of 2.8% in May 2025 (revised down from a fall of 2.7% in the last ONS bulletin). 
  
  
• Sales volumes rose by 1.7% over the year to June 2025. Volumes were down by 1.6%, compared with their pre-coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic level in February 2020.
  
  
• More broadly, there was a 0.2% rise across the three months to June 2025 (Quarter 2), when compared with the three months to March 2025 (Quarter 1). There was a 1.8% rise compared with the same period last year. 
  
  
• Food stores sales volumes rose by 0.7% in June 2025, following a 5.4% fall in May. This rise was mainly because of improved sales volumes in supermarkets, with some retailer comments mentioning increased sales of drinks because of the warm weather.
  
  
• Non-store retailer's sales volumes, which mainly includes online retailers, rose by 1.7% in June 2025, putting sales volumes at their highest level since February 2022. Retailers suggested that promotions and the good weather contributed.
  
  
• Non-food stores sales volumes - the total of department, clothing, household and other non-food stores - rose marginally by 0.2% over the month. Department stores and clothing retailers rose on the month with mention of promotions and good weather. These were partly offset by falls in household goods stores (such as furniture stores) and other non-food retailers (such as those selling second hand goods, which includes auction houses). Comments from retailers attributed these falls to lower footfall.
  
  
• The Met Office climate summaries reported that England had its warmest June on record, and the second warmest for the UK as a whole.
  
  
• Automotive fuel volumes rose by 2.8% on the month, the largest monthly rise since May 2024, with retailers also mentioning the impact of good weather.
  
  
• The amount spent online, known as "online spending values", rose by 2.3% over the month to June 2025, and by 4.5% when comparing June 2025 with June 2024. More broadly, sales values rose by 3.3% when comparing the three months to June 2025 (Quarter 2) with the three months to March 2025 (Quarter 1).
  
  
• Total spend - the sum of in-store and online sales - rose by 1.1% over the month. As a result, the proportion of sales made online rose from 27.4% in May 2025 to 27.8% in June 2025.

Commentary

Responding to the latest ONS Retail Sales Index figures, which showed sales up 3.5% by value, and up 1.8% by volume, Dr Kris Hamer, Director of Insight at the British Retail Consortium, said:

“June was a good month for much of UK retail, as the warm, sunny weather got people spending. Electric fans sold well last month as people scrambled to cool down their homes. Sales of food and drink also performed well, and while this was in part driven by rising inflation, the warmer weather and packed sports schedule also encouraged more social gatherings. 
 
“Unfortunately, with BRC data showing consumer confidence tumbled in July, sales performance over the rest of the summer is at risk. Retailers are currently grappling with £7bn of extra costs as a result of last year’s Budget. Even this month’s sales uplift can only go so far. If the Chancellor heaps further taxes on the industry at the upcoming Budget, then retailers will face little choice but to raise prices or reduce investment in shops and jobs.”

Source : ONS; BRC

Image : William Barton / Shutterstock / 1184182105

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