Great Britain retail sales volumes fall 0.4% in September after a 0.7% rise in August

Retail sales volumes in Great Britain fell 0.4% in September, seasonally adjusted, the Office for National Statistics said in its retail sales bulletin on October 23.

What happened

The fall followed a 0.7% rise in August, which was revised up from a 0.5% rise in the previous bulletin, and a 0.4% fall in July, revised up from a 0.5% fall. Over the three months to September, volumes rose 0.7% compared with the three months to June and 1.5% compared with the same period of 2025. September volumes were 0.8% higher than in September 2025.

Mail order retail sales fell in September "as online clothing retailers suggested that sales of autumn and winter ranges were affected by the warmer weather," the ONS said. The Met Office reported that 2026 had the joint-fourth warmest September on record. Supermarket sales volumes fell "following growth in July and August," to slightly below June levels, partly because of lower-than-usual clothing sales.

Non-food stores sales volumes fell 0.4% on the month. Clothing and footwear stores and sports equipment stores fell, which retailers attributed to lower footfall and customers cutting back, and household goods stores fell because of lower sales at hardware retailers. Automotive fuel volumes rose "despite fuel prices continuing to rise."

The quarter

The ONS said the third-quarter rise reflected fuel sales, which recovered after a weak second quarter, and food stores, helped by warm weather, promotions and the World Cup, according to retailers.

Online sales

Online spending values fell 0.1% in the third quarter from the second quarter and rose 7.4% from the third quarter of 2025. In September, online sales values fell 0.4% on the month after a 3.0% rise in August, and were 6.8% higher than a year earlier. The proportion of sales made online fell to 28.8% from 28.9% in August. The next release is on November 20.