Retail sales volumes in Great Britain fell by 0.5% month on month in July 2026, following a revised increase of 0.7% in June, according to the Office for National Statistics. The July decline came after some retailers reported that promotional activity had brought purchases forward into June. Compared with July 2025, total retail sales volumes were 1.6% higher, so the monthly fall occurred alongside positive annual growth.
Where did sales fall?
The ONS said the monthly decline was driven by non-food stores and non-store retailers. Clothing and footwear store volumes fell by 2.7% from June. Non-store retailing, a category that includes online sellers, dropped by 3.6%, while household goods stores recorded a 1.9% decline. Food store volumes moved in the opposite direction and increased by 0.5% during the month.
Retailers told the statistics agency that promotions in June had pulled some demand forward. That offers context for the sequence of a June increase followed by a July decline. The sector breakdown also shows that the movement was not uniform across retail. Food stores grew, while clothing, household goods and non-store channels each reported lower sales volumes.
The longer-term comparisons
The three-month measure provided a different perspective from the monthly headline. Sales volumes in the three months to July were 1.1% higher than in the previous three months. Volumes were also 1.6% above their level a year earlier. However, total sales volumes remained 0.1% below February 2020, the month used by the ONS as a pre-coronavirus reference point. These comparisons show why a single monthly decline does not describe every time horizon.
What the figures measure
Retail sales volume estimates are adjusted to remove the effect of price changes, allowing the series to track changes in the quantity of goods sold. Volume is therefore different from the total value paid by shoppers. The 0.5% July decline refers to the estimated amount of retail goods sold after adjusting for prices. The release covers retail goods and does not represent all household spending on services.
Monthly retail figures can be affected by the timing of promotions, seasonal patterns and purchases shifting between adjacent months. The reports from retailers about June promotions are relevant for interpreting the July result. They do not, however, mean that every part of retail followed the same pattern. The rise in food store volumes and the declines across several non-food categories need to be read separately.
What comes next?
The central result is a 0.5% monthly decline after June's revised 0.7% gain. Clothing and footwear stores, household goods stores and non-store retailers all posted lower volumes, while food stores increased. At the same time, both the three-month and annual comparisons remained positive. Later releases will provide evidence on whether July was a short-term reversal after June's promotion-led strength or the beginning of a weaker sequence.
For now, the official data support a measured conclusion: retail volumes softened in July, but the picture varied by sector and by comparison period. The monthly, quarterly and annual readings answer different questions, and none should be treated alone as a complete measure of the wider British economy.
