UK retail sales decreased in February as supermarket sales slipped and demand for household goods was impacted by wet weather, according to official figures.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the total volume of retail sales, which measures the quantity bought, fell by 0.4% last month.
It compared with a 2% rise in January, which was revised up from a previous estimate of 1.8%.
Retail sales were 0.7% up in Dec 2025 to Feb 2026 on the previous three months.
— Office for National Statistics (ONS) (@ONS) March 27, 2026
This was because non-store retail did well in the three months to Feb 2026 following a weaker Nov, as well as strong sales volumes for non-food stores in Jan 2026.
➡️ https://t.co/hrLTf5Pqrx pic.twitter.com/uk4kEXCSCJ
The monthly decline in February was nevertheless shallower than expected, with analysts having predicted a drop of 0.7% for the month.
In the three months to February, sales volumes rose by 0.7%, largely driven by strong sales from online retailers.
ONS senior statistician Hannah Finselbach said:“Retail sales rose in the three months to February, with online shops seeing strong sales and art dealers also faring well.
“These were partially offset by a weak period for clothing stores.”
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