Retail Sales Volumes Fell In October

• Retail sales rose in the three months to October 2025, according to the first ONS estimate

The quantity of goods bought (volume) in retail sales is estimated to have risen by 1.1% in the three months to October 2025 compared with the three months to July 2025. Clothing store sales rounded off a strong performance in those three months, peaking in September, while computer and telecommunication retailers rose across September and October 2025.

Retail sales volumes are estimated to have fallen by 1.1% in October 2025, following an increase of 0.7% in September 2025 (revised up from a 0.5% rise in our previous publication) and of 0.5% in August 2025 (revised down from a 0.6% rise in our previous publication). This was the first monthly fall since May 2025. Supermarkets, clothing, and mail order retailers fell in October 2025, which some retailers attributed to consumers delaying their spending in the lead up to Black Friday.

Retail sales in October

• Monthly sales volumes fell for the first time since May 2025
  
  

• Sales volumes rose by 1.1% in the three months to October 2025 compared with the three months to July 2025. Compared with the three months to October 2024, sales volumes were up by 0.4%.

• Sales volumes fell by 1.1% over the month during October 2025, following a 0.7% rise in September, but rose by 0.2% compared with October 2024.
  
  
• Volumes were down by 3.3% compared with their pre-coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic level in February 2020.

Retail sector volumes

• Volumes in the three months to October 2025 rose despite a fall on the month
  
  

• Sales volumes rose over the three months to October 2025 as a strong summer for clothing stores reached its peak in September 2025. Within other non-food stores, computer and telecommunication retailers performed well, which retailers attributed to new product releases. Non-store retailers continued to rise in the three-monthly series, with retailers commenting on strong demand for gold which boosted online jewellers in September 2025.

• Total sales volumes fell over the month to October 2025, the first monthly fall since May 2025. Supermarket sales volumes fell for the second month in a row. Clothing store sales volumes also fell following a recent peak in September 2025, with retailers reporting that consumers held back in preparation for Black Friday discounts. Mail order (online) retailers within non-store retailing also dipped on the month, in part because of online clothing retailers. Some online retailers also mentioned delayed spending in the lead up to Black Friday.

Online retail values

• Monthly online sales fell in October 2025, for the first time since January 2025
  
  

• The amount spent online, known as "online spending values", rose by 3.0% comparing the three months to October 2025 with the three months to July 2025, and by 5.1% compared with the three months to October 2024.

• Total spend (the sum of in-store and online sales) fell by 0.9% over the month. As a result, the proportion of sales made online remained flat at 28.1% in October 2025 compared with September 2025.

• With the monthly series, online sales values fell by 0.8% over the month to October 2025, but rose by 4.8% comparing October 2025 with October 2024.

Source : ONS

Image : William Barton / iStock / 1074133768

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