Retail sales: Economic indicators

Economic indicators are quick-read summaries of the latest data focusing on different aspects of the UK economy. The full suite of indicators can be found on the main Economic Indicators page.

In August 2026, retail sales in Great Britain totalled £9.4 billion per week, down from £9.6 billion in July. This figure includes money spent in shops, supermarkets, in petrol stations and online.

Between July and August, the total quantity of retail sales volumes rose by 0.5%, following a fall of 0.5% between June and July.

In the three months to August 2026, the volume of sales increased by 2.4% compared with the same period last year. The volume of sales rose by 0.9% in the three months to August 2026 compared with the previous three months. The sales volumes were down 0.1% in August 2026 compared to February 2020 and pre-pandemic levels.

Sales in food stores increased by 0.3% in August compared to July, with supermarkets reporting good sales, attributed to promotions and hot weather. Sales in non-food stores, which includes department, clothing and household goods stores, rose by 0.6% between July and August. Department and clothing stores recovered from a fall in July, which retailers attributed to stock availability issues and promotional activity in June pulling sales forward.

The average weekly value of internet sales was £2.8 billion in August 2026 (excluding fuel). This was 28.8% of all retail sales. Internet sales as a proportion of all retail sales have been rising steadily since 2006, reaching around 19% of all sales in 2019. Internet sales rose sharply in April 2020 with the onset of the pandemic.

Next updates

This page is updated when new data is published. The next source updates will be:

• ONS, Retail Sales, 23 October 2026