- June retail sales +1.0% vs -0.3% m/m expected
- Prior +1.2%
- June retail sales +4.2% vs +2.3% y/y expected
- Prior +3.2%; revised to +3.5%
- June retail sales (ex fuel, autos) +1.1% vs -0.4% m/m expected
- Prior +1.2%
- June retail sales (ex fuel, autos) +5.4% vs +3.2% y/y expected
- Prior +4.6%; revised to +4.9%
UK retail sales rose unexpectedly in June, with non-store retailing in particular seeing a strong surge in volume (+4.4%) on the month.
Retailers reported that sales promotions and the warm weather boosted sales of outdoor products and items such as fans. Besides that, increased sales of clothing and sports merchandise also benefitted the June figures for non-store retailers. I’m guessing England performing well in the World Cup has a lot to do with that. So, keep in mind that this bump may yet be a bit of a one-off.
That said, non-food store sales were also solid (+1.2%) on the month. Of note, computer and telecoms retailers’ sales rose, which retailers attributed to continued strong demand for products following releases back in March 2026.
All in all, it’s a good report ahead of the summer months. And it will at least put down fears of stagflation for now, even if the conversation will not be going away in the second half of the year.
We’ll have to see what happens when the heat wave is gone and when the World Cup hangover hits.
This article was written by Justin Low at investinglive.com.
