UK October retail sales rise 1.5%, but non-food spending is flat
UK retail sales increased 1.5 percent in value over the year in October, with food spending supplying the growth while non-food sales were unchanged. Retailers described a cautious month ahead of Black Friday and Christmas, as households balanced seasonal purchases against higher living costs. The result is a measure of spending, not proof that shoppers bought 1.5 percent more goods.
The British Retail Consortium and KPMG monitor covered the four weeks from 4 to 31 October. Total sales growth was slightly below the 1.6 percent recorded a year earlier, but above the latest three-month average of 1.2 percent. Food sales rose 3.2 percent, compared with 3.5 percent a year earlier. Non-food sales were flat, following growth of just 0.1 percent in October 2025.
Online and physical stores had different results
In-store non-food sales fell 1.1 percent, while online non-food sales rose 1.8 percent. The online share reached 38.6 percent, up from 38.2 percent a year earlier. Those figures refer to the non-food market in the monitor, not the share of all household consumption conducted online.
BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson said shoppers delayed furniture and white-goods purchases while waiting for November promotions. Poor weather favoured online shopping, while Halloween supported snacks, costumes and decorations. KPMG reported growth in clothing, footwear and winter bedding. These explanations reflect industry observations of the month, rather than a controlled measurement of why each household changed its spending.
Retailers are now relying on the festive season to improve trading while facing energy bills, interest costs and other operating pressures. Grocery specialists also reported that emergency-preparedness advice may have encouraged some cupboard stocking, although confidence remained unsettled. A stronger November would help businesses absorb costs, but October does not establish that deferred purchases will all return. Value growth, product mix and the number of items sold need to be kept separate when judging whether household demand is genuinely strengthening.