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British retail sales volumes fell by 0.3% in the final quarter of 2025, despite a strong December showing, as supermarket trade slowed following a strong summer.
Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows the decline in the three months to December followed a 2.1% increase compared with the same period in 2024.
Monthly retail volumes rose by 0.4% in December, rebounding from a 0.1% fall in November. Online jewellers reported a significant increase in demand for precious metals during the month, helping non-store retailers recover from previous declines.
Annual sales volumes for 2025 increased by 1.3%, marking the second consecutive year of growth. Despite this rise, total volumes remained 1.5% below the levels recorded in February 2020 before the coronavirus pandemic.
Food store volumes, including supermarkets, declined across the quarter. Analysts attributed this to a high baseline in the previous three months, when sales were supported by warm weather and the UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 tournament.
Online spending values rose by 2.1% in the fourth quarter compared with the third quarter of 2025. This growth meant the proportion of sales made online increased to 28.3% in December, up from 28.0% in the previous month.
Non-food stores, which include department and clothing outlets, saw monthly volumes fall by 0.9% in December. Automotive fuel sales also declined across the quarter, following a period of higher demand earlier in the year.
Commenting on today’s retail sales figures up to December, ONS senior statistician Hannah Finselbach said: “The last three months of the year saw a slight drop in retail sales following a strong third quarter, with supermarkets and online stores both down.However, sales were up in December, with internet retailing doing well. Within this, online jewellers had a strong month and told us there was higher demand for gold and silver.
“Across 2025 as a whole, retail sales saw a second consecutive annual rise after the large falls of 2022 and 2023, but volumes still remained below their pre-pandemic level.”
