Jan UK retail sales volume up 1.7% MoM; amount spent online drops 1.7%

It fell by 0.6 per cent quarter on quarter (QoQ) in the three months to January, but rose by 1.4 per cent year on year (YoY).

Monthly index levels in January 2025 were their highest since August 2024. Retail sales volumes rose by 1 per cent YoY in January.

The volume was down by 1.3 per cent compared with their pre-COVID-19 pandemic level in February 2020, an ONS release said.

Non-food stores—the total of department, clothing, household and other non-food stores—fell by 1.3 per cent MoM in January. Clothing retailers and household goods stores suggested the fall was because of reduced consumer confidence.

The amount spent online, known as ‘online spending values’, fell by 1.7 per cent MoM in January 2025. It fell by 4.8 per cent QoQ and rose by 0.8 per cent YoY in the three months to January 2025.

Total spend—the sum of in-store and online sales—rose by 2.6 per cent MoM in the month. As a result, the proportion of sales made online in the United Kingdom fell from 26.9 per cent in December 2024 to 25.7 per cent in January.

ALCHEMPro News Desk (DS)