Retail sales fell across all sectors in May 2025 in what was the largest monthly fall since December 2023, data published by the Office for National Statistics on Friday (20 June) shows.
Volumes were down by 2.7%, compared with their pre-coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic level in February 2020, reaching their lowest level since December 2024.
More broadly, there was a 0.8% rise across the three months to May 2025 when compared with the three months to February 2025, and a 1.7% rise when compared with the three months to May 2024.
Supermarkets hit hard
The data shows food stores’ sales volumes fell by 5% in May 2025 following growth of 4.7% in April. This was their largest monthly fall since May 2021.
The fall was mainly because of reduced sales volumes in supermarkets, with retailer comments talking of inflation and customer cutbacks, alongside reduced sales of alcohol and tobacco products, the ONS said.
Non-food stores sales volumes – the total of department, clothing, household and other non-food stores – fell by 1.4% over the month, mainly because of falls in clothing and household goods stores such as hardware, paints and glass retailers.
Retailer comments mentioned reduced footfall and consumers having completed home projects earlier than usual this year because of good weather, leading to lower sales in May.
Online sales also fall
The amount spent online, known as “online spending values”, fell by 1% over the month to May 2025 and by 2.5% when comparing May 2025 with May 2024.
More broadly, sales values rose by 3.6% when comparing the three months to May 2025 with the three months to February 2025.
Total spend – the sum of in-store and online sales – fell by 2.4% over the month. As a result, the proportion of sales made online rose from 26.8% in April 2025 to 27.2% in May 2025.
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