UK retail sales fall 0.4% in September as warm weather hits

Summarised from Evening Standard's report · Updated 23 Oct, 11:51 · Archive

UK retail sales volumes fell 0.4% in September, worse than the 0.1% decline economists had predicted.

UK retail sales volumes fell by 0.4% in September compared with the previous month, according to the Office for National Statistics. This was a steeper decline than the 0.1% drop economists had predicted. The weakness was partly linked to clothing and footwear retailers, which saw a 0.9% fall as unusually warm weather in September led to subdued sales of autumn and winter clothing lines. Sales at food stores also fell 0.4%, representing their weakest performance for four months.

The figures come ahead of Chancellor John Healey's first Budget. Previous monthly data was revised, with August's performance upgraded to a 0.7% increase from a 0.5% estimated rise, and July improved to a 0.4% fall from a predicted 0.5% decline. Over the third quarter of 2026, the volume of products bought from retailers was up 0.7% compared with the previous three-month period. Motor fuel sales lifted by 2.2% for the month despite prices moving higher, as demand for petrol and diesel continued its recovery.

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• UK retail sales drop after warm weather hits winter clothing demandThe Office for National Statistics said retail sales volumes fell by 0.4% in September, compared with the previous month.Evening Standard · 23 Oct, 09:12
• UK retail sales drop after warm weather hits winter clothing demandThe Office for National Statistics said retail sales volumes fell by 0.4% in September, compared with the previous month.Evening Standard · 23 Oct, 08:09

In this story: Office for National Statistics · John Healey · United Kingdom

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