UK retail sales beat forecasts rising 0.5% monthly in September

Retail sales in Great Britain rose again in September, supported by stronger clothing and online demand, extending a four-month run of growth and pushing overall volumes to their highest level since mid-2022, data showed Friday.

The Office for National Statistics said retail sales volumes increased 0.5% month-on-month in September, after rising 0.6% in August.

The figure came ahead of the 0.2% drop expected by the FXStreet-consensus.

Sales were up 0.9% in the three months to September compared with the previous quarter, marking a solid rebound following a weak start to the year.

Year-on-year, sales volumes were 1.5% higher, though they remained 1.6% below pre-pandemic levels from February 2020.

The ONS said warm weather in July and August boosted clothing sales during the quarter, while non-store retailers, including online and mail-order businesses, continued to post steady gains.

Non-food store sales rose 0.9% in September. Online retail volumes also climbed to their highest since February 2022.

Spending online increased 1.4% month-on-month in September and 5.6% compared with a year earlier, while total online sales accounted for 28%.