UK retail sales top expectations with 1.7% climb in January? ONS

UK retail sales topped expectations at the start of the year, numbers from the Office for National Statistics showed on Friday.

Retail sales volumes surged by 1.7% in January from December, well-ahead of the FXStreet cited consensus of 0.3%. In December, retail sales had fallen 0.6%, the reading downwardly revised from 0.3%.

The ONS said: ‘Food store sales volumes grew strongly in January 2025, following falls in recent months.’

On an annual basis, retail sales rose 1.0% last month, easing from a 2.8% rise in December. Growth of 0.6% was expected for January, so the latest reading topped consensus.

The ONS added: ‘More broadly, sales volumes fell by 0.6% in the three months to January 2025, compared with the three months to October 2024, but rose by 1.4%, compared with the three months to January 2024.’

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