ONS news and archive

High Street fashion under pressure amid rising costs and shrinking labour pool

Retail employment in the UK has entered a troubling downturn. According to the latest report by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), there were 2.73 million jobs in retail in June 2025. The four-quarter average, which smooths out seasonal hiring variations, stood at 2.78 million jobs, some 97,000 fewer than at the same point last year, and...

Retail

Retail sales marginally rise in July as sports events and warm weather boost activity

Retail sales volumes across the UK are estimated to have increased by 0.6 percent in July 2025, according to a delayed monthly report by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This followed a more modest 0.3 percent increase in June. The quantity of goods bought fell 0.6 percent in the three months to July when compared to the three months...

Retail

UK: Retail sales take a hit in May as consumers cut back spending

New figures by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) have shown a drop of 2.7 percent in retail sales volumes during May, representing the largest monthly fall since December 2023. The decrease comes after a more promising April, in which volumes rose 1.2 percent. Sales were also down by 2.7 percent compared with pre-Covid levels in February...

Retail

UK sheds 93,000 retail jobs in a year

Retail jobs have continued to fall over the year as the “rising tide of employment costs” hit the industry. According to the latest figures by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), there were 2.76 million retail jobs in March 2025, 93,000 fewer than at the same point last year. When compared to 2015, this figure was 364,000 less than data...

Retail

UK: Retail sales welcome uptick in April, but clothing stores take hit

Retail sales volumes in April rose 1.2 percent, according to new data by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), driven by a late Easter and warmer spring weather throughout the month. The increase followed a more marginal uptick of 0.1 percent in the month prior, and aided in an increase of 1.8 percent for sales volumes in the three months to...

Retail

UK: Inflation rises in April yet clothing prices fall

Inflation rose for the month of April in the UK, as increased business rates associated with the government’s Budget impacted consumer-facing prices. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), headline inflation rose 3.5 percent in the 12 months to April, up from 2.6 percent over 12 months to March. Things did improve for the...

Retail

UK economy welcomes uptick in Q1

New figures by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) have shown a positive upward trend within the UK economy for the first three months of the year. UK gross domestic product (GDP) is estimated to have grown 0.7 percent over January to March 2025, according to the data, following a growth of 0.1 percent in the previous quarter. ONS said that...

Retail

Retail sales marginally increase in March, weather boosts clothing category

New figures by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) have shown a marginal increase in UK retail sales for the month of March, with clothing and footwear stores in particular welcoming a strong period. Overall volumes rose 0.4 percent during the month on the back of a 0.7 percent increase in February. Over the year, meanwhile, sales volumes...

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Business

UK inflation marginally eased in March yet clothing prices rise

Headline inflation in the UK marginally fell in March, however, prices rose in clothing and footwear, reversing trends seen earlier in the year. Prices for the category increased 1.1 percent in the 12 months to March 2025, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported, compared with a drop of 0.6 percent in the 12 months to February. ONS...

Retail

UK: Clothing sales take hit in January despite retail volumes increasing elsewhere

New figures by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) have shown a disappointing January for textile clothing and footwear stores, for which sales volumes fell by 2.7 percent on the month. A reduction in consumer confidence was cited as the cause for the drop in sales, which also contributed to a wider decrease of 1.3 percent in volumes for...

Retail

UK: Retail sales unexpectedly drop in December, clothing retailers rebound

Retail sales volumes took an unexpected turn in December, dropping 0.3 percent throughout the month, according to new figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This followed a subtle 0.1 percent increase in November, and came despite a rebound in textile clothing and footwear stores, which saw sales rise 4.4 percent, a stark...

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Retail

Industry insiders give their reaction to latest ONS figures

British clothing and footwear retailers suffered their sharpest year-on-year decline since January 2022, with sales falling 2.6 per cent in November, marking the second consecutive monthly decrease. The Office for National Statistics' (ONS) latest retail monitor, which concluded on November 23, captured only a partial picture of consumer...