Retail sales volumes flat year on year in October

Sales volumes rose by 0.2% compared with October 2024, the ONS reported. Month on month they fell 1.1% and total spend online – the sum of in-store and online sales – slipped 0.9% over the month.

The monthly decline was the first since May. The ONS said: “Supermarkets, clothing, and mail order retailers fell in October, which some retailers attributed to consumers delaying their spending in the lead up to Black Friday.”

Over the three months to October, volumes rose 1.1% year on year.

“Clothing store sales rounded off a strong performance in those three months, peaking in September, while computer and telecommunication retailers rose across September and October,” the ONS reported.

Deloitte head of retail Oliver Vernon-Harcourt said: “The fall in October’s retail sales is disappointing for the sector during the first month of the golden quarter. Consumers held off on making purchases ahead of Black Friday discounting, while unseasonably mild weather delayed purchases of winter goods. However, the three months to October do represent a more balanced picture, with uplifted spending in almost every category.”

Alvarez & Marsal European retail and consumer lead Erin Brookes said: “Moving forward, this year’s golden quarter is set to unfold against an uncertain backdrop. Consumer confidence has shown signs of improving, but economic headwinds remain turbulent and the timing of Rachel Reeves’s late autumn Budget – just days before Black Friday – comes at a difficult moment for the sector. Uncertainty over tax and business rates risks denting consumer sentiment at the most critical point in the trading calendar, and categories like apparel have been under pressure due to unseasonably warm weather.”