Welcome Boost for Retail Sales in May

The ONS has published retail sales data for May, noting that retail sales rose in the three months to May 2026.

1) Overview

The quantity of goods bought (volume) in retail sales is estimated to have risen by 0.4% in the three months to May 2026 compared with the three months to February 2026. Non-food stores’ sales volumes rose, with department stores performing well in May because of the good weather. Also within non-food stores, computer and telecoms retailers continued to grow following product releases in March 2026. Non-store retailers rose following strong March and May periods.

Retail sales volumes are estimated to have risen by 1.2% in May 2026. This follows a fall of 1.0% in April 2026 (revised up from a 1.3% fall in our previous bulletin), and a rise of 0.7% in March 2026 (revised up from a 0.6% rise in our previous bulletin). Retailers suggested that promotions and the hot weather in May increased sales volumes for non-store retailers and department stores.

2) Retail sales in May 

• Sales volumes rose over both the month and the three months to May 2026
  
  

• Sales volumes rose by 0.4% in the three months to May 2026 compared with the three months to February 2026, an increase of 1.4% compared with the three months to May 2025.

• Volumes fell by 0.4% compared with their pre-coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic level in February 2020.

• Sales volumes rose by 3.2% over the year to May 2026.

• Sales volumes rose by 1.2% over the month during May 2026, following a fall of 1.0% in April 2026.

3) Retail sector volumes 

• Sales volumes in non-food stores and non-store retailers rose over the three months to May 2026 
  
  
• Sales volumes rose by 0.4% in the three months to May 2026 compared with the three months to February 2026.
  
  
• Sales volumes for non-food stores (the total of department, clothing, household, and other non-food stores) rose by 1.2%. Department stores sales volumes rose by 2.7% following strong monthly growth in May, which was the largest three-monthly rise since September 2024. Retailers reported that hot weather in May boosted sales of items such as fans and paddling pools. Within other non-food stores, sales volumes among computer and telecoms retailers also rose, as product releases in March remained in demand. Meanwhile, non-store retailers (which are predominately online) performed well, following rises in both March and May.
  
  
• Sales volumes rose by 1.2% over the month to May 2026. Sales volumes for non-store retailers rose by 6.1%, the largest monthly rise since February 2025, bringing volumes to their highest level since January 2022. Retailer comments suggested that promotions and hot weather boosted sales of items such as outdoor furniture and fans. Non-food stores grew on the month as well, with department stores also benefiting from promotions and the hot weather.
  
  
• The Met Office Weather and Climate summaries reported that 2026 saw the joint-third warmest May on record.

4) Online retail values 

• Online sales rose across all sectors over the three months to May 2026 
  
  
• The amount spent online, known as “online spending values”, rose by 3.4%, when comparing the three months to May 2026 with the three months to February 2026. Online spending values rose by 9.8% compared with the three months to May 2025.
  
  
• Within the monthly series, online sales values rose by 3.3% over the month to May 2026, an increase of 12.2% compared with May 2025.
  
  
• The total spend (the sum of in-store and online sales) rose by 0.9% over the month. As a result, the proportion of sales made online rose from 28.1% in April 2026 to 28.8% in May 2026.

Commentary

British Retail Consortium:

Responding to the latest ONS Retail Sales Index figures, Harvir Dhillon, Economist at the British Retail Consortium, said: 

“May’s warm weather provided a welcome boost to retail sales. There were strong sales across clothing, footwear, household goods, and electrical household appliances as shoppers stocked up on heatwave essentials such as lighter clothing, bedding and fans. Food sales also rose year on year as people got together for bank holiday barbecues and outdoor gatherings. 
 
“While the sunshine provided a short-term boost, retailers continue to face significant challenges. Household budgets remain stretched, consumer confidence is fragile, and operating costs are rising. To support growth and help keep inflation under control, Government must address the taxes and levies that are increasing energy costs for businesses. Without intervention, mounting cost pressures will make it harder for retailers to invest, grow and keep prices affordable for customers.

PwC

Commenting on the Office of National Statistics retail sales index for May 2026, Jacqueline Windsor, Head of Retail at PwC UK, said: 

“At face value, retail sales surprised on the upside in May. Headline retail sales volumes excluding petrol grew by 1.2% compared with the previous month, and a respectable 4.6% compared with the same time last year. Taking into account inflation, that means that UK retailers saw 6.8% more in their tills compared with last May, which is the strongest year-on-year growth since June 2023.

“However, last month benefitted from both a weak comparable period, with May 2025 seeing a decline in sales as shoppers brought forward their spring purchases following an unusually warm March and April; and the heatwave coinciding with the bank holiday and half term towards the end of the month, which helped the sales of everything from barbecue foods and summer fashions, to fans and paddling pools.

“The high street itself did not benefit though, with footfall declining and online retailers reaping the rewards. Penetration of internet sales jumped from 28.1% in April to 28.8% in May, which was the same as in March, and higher than at any point since the end of the pandemic in 2021.

“Stepping back, it’s no coincidence that inflation at 2.8% was also lower than expected last month, as retailers kept a lid on prices to encourage shoppers to clear seasonal stock after a weak April. This kept shoppers’ buying power a whisker ahead of slowing wage growth at 2.9%, also announced this week. This should maintain the retail sales momentum into June, helped by the continuing warm weather and World Cup fever.

“But, as inflationary pressures grow later in the year, particularly on essentials like energy and food, it is inevitable that shoppers will need to tighten their belts. For retailers, the hope is that early summer did not prove to be a false dawn after a challenging spring, and that any slowdown rebounds in time for the critical run-up to Christmas.”

Source : ONS; BRC; PwC

Image : AmbrosiniV / Shutterstock / 1783336670

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