UK retail sales edge up as fashion outperforms in a subdued Golden Quarter

UK retail sales painted a nuanced picture in November as the Office for National Statistics data showed modest resilience beneath a soft monthly headline. While total sales volumes dipped slightly over the month, fashion and non food categories continued to hold steady, reinforcing the sense of selective rather than broad based consumer spending as the industry heads toward the final weeks of the Golden Quarter.

Sales volumes rose across the three months to November 2025 despite two consecutive monthly declines. Clothing and footwear stood out, with sales growing 1.7 percent in November and volumes increasing across the three month period. The ONS noted that stronger clothing sales earlier in the autumn, particularly in September, helped underpin this trend.

November followed a familiar Black Friday pattern, though with less impact than some retailers might have hoped. Seasonally adjusted sales volumes fell by just 0.1 percent over the month. While unadjusted figures showed a sharp uplift linked to promotional activity, the ONS data suggests that this year’s discounting period was slightly weaker than usual. The monthly increase was higher than in 2022, broadly in line with 2021, but below the levels seen in 2023.

Footwear and leather goods record strong sales

Within non food retail, sales rose by one percent, offsetting weakness elsewhere. Department stores reported higher volumes, with some attributing gains to extended Black Friday promotions. Footwear and leather goods retailers also recorded stronger sales, underlining the relative resilience of fashion adjacent categories even as overall consumer confidence remained fragile. By contrast, supermarket sales fell for a fourth consecutive month, with retailers pointing to low footfall, while non store retailers declined, partly due to reduced demand for online jewellery following the stabilisation of precious metal prices.

Online spending continued to grow over the longer term, even as month on month momentum softened. Online sales values rose by 3.2 percent when comparing the three months to November with the three months to August, and by 6.7 percent year on year. On a monthly basis, online sales values increased by 0.7 percent, and were up 8.3 percent compared with November last year.

Caution remains

Commenting on the figures, Matt Dalton, consumer sector leader at Forvis Mazars, said that November’s performance highlighted continued caution among households. He noted that although unadjusted figures showed a sharp Black Friday uplift, the seasonally adjusted data suggested the discount week had less influence than in previous years. While the three month trend remains positive, with volumes up zero point six percent and supported by non food categories such as clothing and furniture, Dalton warned that underlying weakness points to selective rather than buoyant festive spending.

Jacqui Baker, head of retail at RSM UK and chair of ICAEW’s Retail Group, echoed that assessment, pointing to a difficult backdrop for retailers. She said speculation around potential tax rises and exceptionally wet weather dampened November sales, compounding a bleak start to the Golden Quarter. Even Black Friday failed to trigger widespread splurging ahead of Christmas. However, Baker highlighted early signs of improving consumer confidence in December, which could translate into a late surge in high street spending if budget related concerns subside.

Looking ahead, Baker warned that retailers face persistent headwinds in 2026, including low consumer confidence, rising employment costs as the national minimum wage increases again, and the potential impact of business rates reform on larger operators and online businesses. In this environment, she said retailers will need to create compelling propositions that genuinely resonate with cautious consumers.

Shoppers drawn to discounts

Oliver Vernon Harcourt, head of retail at Deloitte, described the second consecutive monthly decline as a disappointment, particularly given that Black Friday and early Christmas shopping fell within the reporting period. He suggested some consumers may have delayed spending decisions until after the Budget, though the rise in volumes across department stores, clothing and footwear, and household goods indicates that discounting did draw shoppers toward the end of the month. The continued decline in supermarket sales, he added, reflects ongoing pressure from food inflation on household budgets.

From a technology and commerce perspective, Leigh Thomas, vice president EMEA at Intuit, said the industry would be disappointed by the second monthly fall during the peak trading period. He highlighted research showing that a large majority of UK shoppers typically make purchases around Black Friday, underlining the importance of how retailers communicate in the final stages of the festive season. Thomas argued that more personalised and integrated messaging could help unlock pent up demand, noting that many consumers are open to sharing data in exchange for more tailored experiences.

Deann Evans, managing director EMEA at Shopify, struck a cautiously optimistic note. She said retailers would have expected more from November given Black Friday’s significance, particularly after positive sentiment earlier in the season. However, she pointed to strong interest in seasonal and home focused products as evidence that festive demand is still present. Evans added that success in December and beyond will depend on more than pricing, with seamless online and offline experiences and reduced checkout friction becoming increasingly critical to converting intent into sales.

Taken together, November’s data reinforces a familiar theme for fashion and retail businesses. Demand has not disappeared, but it has become more deliberate. As the year draws to a close, the challenge for retailers will be less about driving volume through blanket discounting and more about convincing cautious consumers that selected purchases are worth making.