UK retail sales fall 0.3% in December as food stores record biggest sales decline in over a decade

Follows 0.1% rise in November

UK retail sales volumes declined by 0.3% in December, as food stores saw their sales drop to their lowest level since April 2013.

According to data from the Office for National Statistics today (17 January), the 0.3% monthly fall in December followed a downwardly-revised 0.1% increase in sales in November 2024, and came below economists' predictions, who expected a 0.4% rise last month, according to a poll by Reuters. Food stores sales fell 1.9% in December, with the strongest decline recorded by supermarkets. Services uplift UK economy as it swings back to 0.1% growth in November 2024 The ONS noted that sales in specialist food stores, such as butchers and bakers also dropped, followed by alcohol and to...