Clothing demand lifts UK retail sales 1.1% in 3 months to Oct 2025

The quantity of goods bought in Great Britain increased by 1.1 per cent over the three months to October, compared with the three months to July, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The rise was supported by strong clothing sales that peaked in September.

However, October 2025 alone saw retail sales volumes fall by 1.1 per cent — the first monthly decline since May 2025. Supermarket sales dropped for the second month in a row, while clothing and mail order retailers were hit by consumers delaying purchases ahead of Black Friday discounts.

Month-on-month online sales values fell 0.8 per cent despite being 4.8 per cent higher than a year earlier. Total spending decreased by 0.9 per cent in October, yet the proportion of online sales remained stable at 28.1 per cent.

Sales volumes in October were still 0.2 per cent higher than the same period in 2024 but remained 3.3 per cent below pre-pandemic levels from February 2020.

ALCHEMPro News Desk (HU)