UK Retail Sales Surge 0.5% in August 2025, Fueled by Fashion and Online Shopping

Office for National Statistics reveals UK retail sales volumes rose by 0.5% month-on-month- September 19, 2025. ONS National Statistics. This is the third straight month of increases, fueled mostly by strong sales in non-store retailers, especially those on internet platforms, as well as in clothing stores. Emphasizing ongoing customer demand in certain industries despite general economic pressures, retailers attributed the rise to good weather and back-to-school shopping.

Under excl automotive gas, core retail sales showed even stronger performance—0.8% month-on-month—which highlights resilience in non-essential spending. But the quarterly trend offers a more subdued view: retail sales volumes fell marginally by 0.1% in the three months leading up to August relative to the preceding three-month span. This implies that although monthly numbers are still encouraging, the retail sector is showing a slight decline that may indicate consumer hesitancy in light of economic ambiguity.

Retail sales rose 0.7% in August year over year, a modest deceleration from July’s revised 0.8% annual increase. The information shows that although UK consumers still spend—especially in fashion and online retail—the general retail scene appears to be slowing down. This mixed performance emphasizes the fine balance between sectoral specificity strength and developing difficulties, therefore preparing the way for consumer behavior in the following months to be closely observed.