ONS Retail Sales January 2025

Retail sales (value, non-seasonally adjusted, exc. fuel) rose by 1.6% year-on-year (YoY) in January according to the latest ONS data. It compares to a 3.7% rise a year earlier.
In volume terms (non-seasonally adjusted, exc. fuel), retail sales rose by 0.1% YoY in January. It compares to a 0.5% decline a year ago.
It should be noted that ONS figures are based on a sample of some 5,000 retailers and are subject to revisions. Retail sales value and volume growth has detached – percentage change on a year earlier

Volumes were broadly flat on last year

Source: ONS, Retail Economics analysis

Note: all retail sales figures provided below are non-seasonally adjusted, excluding Fuel, unless stated otherwise.

Food and non-food

Food sales values rose by 1.9% YoY in January. This compares to a 6.1% rise a year earlier during higher levels of inflation. Adjusting for inflation, volumes declined by 0.7% against a 0.5% decline in the previous year.
Non-food sales rebounded in January, with values rising by 1.9% compared to a 1.3% increase in the previous year. In volume terms, non-food sales edged up by 1.3% in January against a 1.3% decline a year earlier.
Clothing sales volumes declined 2.2% on last year in January. This follows a 6.7% decline a year earlier. Footwear and Leather Goods volumes plunged by 11.6%.
Household Goods volumes were broadly flat on last year at -0.1%, with sales below pre-pandemic levels. Big ticket Furniture and Lighting volumes remained in decline at -0.4%, while Electrical Household Appliances volumes stepped up by 7.0% in January.
Pharmaceuticals, Cosmetics and Toiletries volumes swung into decline in January, down by 9.1%.

Online

Online sales values declined by 0.3% YoY in January, against a 3.7% rise a year earlier.
Household Goods remained in decline in January, down by 9.9%, while Clothing & Footwear sales dipped by 2.9%.
Non-store retailing (a proxy for pureplay retailers) decreased by 2.6% YoY in the month, against a 3.9% rise a year earlier.
The proportion of retail sales made online was 26.8% in January, down from 27.3% a year earlier.
Overall, average weekly online sales were broadly flat on last year at £2.2bn in January.

Retail sales price deflator

The retail sales deflator (a measure of inflation specific to retail) rose by 1.2% including fuel, and 1.4% when excluding fuel.
The implied price deflator among food edged up to 2.6% in January, against a 6.6% rise in the previous year. Among non-food stores, the price deflator was broadly flat edged up by 0.6%..