ONS Retail Sales September 2026

Retail sales (value, non-seasonally adjusted, exc. fuel) grew by 3.6% year on year (YoY) in September according to the latest ONS data. It compares to a 4.4% uplift a year earlier.
In volume terms (non-seasonally adjusted, exc. fuel), retail sales grew by 1.1% YoY in September, against a 2.5% uplift a year earlier.
It should be noted that ONS figures are based on a sample of some 5,000 retailers and are subject to revisions.

Retail sales value and volume growth – percentage change on a year earlier

Source: ONS, Retail Economics analysis

Note: all retail sales figures provided below are non-seasonally adjusted, excluding Fuel, unless stated otherwise.

Food and non-food

Food sales values rose by 2.2% YoY in September, against a 4.5% uplift a year earlier. Adjusting for inflation, food sales volumes were unchanged.
Non-food sales values rose by 3.7% in September, while volumes increased by 1.8%. Clothing and sports equipment retailers reported weaker demand amid warm weather and lower footfall.
Clothing sales values edged up by 0.1% YoY, while volumes fell by 0.6%. Footwear and leather goods remained under pressure, with values down 9.5% and volumes falling 8.8%.
Household Goods volumes rose by 5.4% YoY in September, with Furniture and Lighting up 10.7%. Elsewhere, Computers and Telecommunications Equipment jumped 27.3%.
Pharmaceuticals, Cosmetics and Toiletries volumes remained a standout, rising by 10.0% in September, marking a sixth consecutive month of double-digit growth.

Online

Online sales values grew by 7.3% YoY in September, against a 5.6% uplift a year earlier.
Clothing and Footwear declined by 2.8% YoY, while Household Goods increased by 22.9% in September.
Non-store retailing (a proxy for pureplay retailers) rose by 8.8% YoY in September, against a 6.3% uplift a year earlier.
The proportion of retail sales made online rose to 28.3% in September, compared to 27.3% a year earlier.
Overall, average weekly online sales reached £2.6bn in September.

Retail sales price deflator

The retail sales deflator (a measure of inflation specific to retail) rose by 2.5% excluding fuel and by 4.6% including fuel.
The implied price deflator among food stores rose to 2.1% in September, from 1.9% in August. Among non-food stores, the price deflator increased to 1.9%.