UK retail sales see unexpected monthly rise in December - ONS
UK retail sales unexpectedly rose in December, but fell in the final quarter of the year, numbers on Friday showed.
The Office for National Statistics said retail sales volumes rose 0.4% in December, following a fall of 0.1% in November, beating an FXStreet-cited forecast for a 0.1% decline.
Non-store retailers’ volumes rose in December, following falls in October and November, as the ONS noted that online jewellers reported that demand for precious metals picked up.
The 0.1% fall in November was unrevised, while the ONS revised up October’s reading to a 0.8% fall from a 0.9% decline previously.
Retail sales volumes in December were 2.5% higher than a year ago, beating expectations of a 1.0% increase.
In the quarter to December, retail sales volumes were down 0.3% compared to the previous quarter.
The ONS said both supermarkets and non-store retailers’ sales both fell following a ‘strong’ third quarter.
Annual sales volumes rose 1.3% over the year to 2025, with increases in both food and non-food stores, as well as non-store retailers.
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