UK retail sales volumes up 1% in Feb 2025 after 1.4% rise in Jan: ONS

Non-food store sales volumes grew strongly (3.1 per cent) in the month, with rises across all four sub-sectors—department, other non-food, clothing and household goods, while supermarket sales volumes fell back following a strong rise in January 2025.

Retail sales volumes rose by 0.3 per cent in the three months to February compared with the three months to November 2024, and by 2 per cent when compared with the three months to February 2024.

Monthly sales volumes rose for the second consecutive month in February this year and were at their highest level since July 2022. Sales volumes rose by 2.2 per cent over the year to February 2025.

Volumes were down by 0.4 per cent, compared with their pre- COVID-19 pandemic level in February 2020.

Retail sales volumes in clothing stores also rose in February, but did not fully recover from their 2.7-per cent fall in January 2025. Increased discounting and falling clothing prices may have contributed to the increase in sales volumes, ONS said in a release.

Online sales in the country rose in February across all sectors following a poor first month.

The amount spent online, known as ‘online spending values’, rose by 3.3 per cent over the month to February 2025. Sales values also rose by 3.9 per cent year on year (YoY). However, they fell by 3.1 per cent when comparing the three months to February 2025 with the three months to November 2024.

Total spend—the sum of in-store and online sales in the country—rose by 0.7 per cent over the month. As a result, the proportion of sales made online rose from 25.8 per cent in January 2025 to 26.5 per cent in February.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)