Retail sales fell by 0.3% in December
Retail sales volumes fell in December with a drop of 0.3% as people were more cautious about their Christmas spending.
This followed a small rise of 0.1% in November 2024, the Office for National Statistics said.
Food stores sales volumes declined by 1.9% in the month with supermarkets impacted the most, although this was partly offset by a rise in non-food stores sales volumes which increased by 1.1%. Clothing made the largest upward contribution with a rise of 4.4%.
Meanwhile, sales volumes across the fourth quarter of 2024 edged down 0.8% compared to the three months to September.
Never Miss a Retail Update!Hannah Finselbach, ONS senior statistician, said: “Retail sales fell in December following the previous month’s slight increase.
“This was driven by a very poor month for food sales which sank to their lowest level since 2013, with supermarkets particularly affected.
“It was a better month for clothing shops and household goods stores, where retailers reported strong Christmas trading.
“With the timing of Black Friday falling within these latest data, our figures when not adjusted for seasonal spending show overall retail sales grew more strongly than in recent December.
