UK October retail sales +0.8% vs +0.5% m/m expected

Latest data released by ONS - 19 November 2021

• Prior -0.2%; revised to 0.0%
• Retail sales -1.3% vs -2.0% y/y expected
• Prior -1.3%; revised to -0.6%

• Retail sales (ex fuel, autos) +1.6% vs +0.6% m/m expected
• Prior -0.6%; revised to -0.4%
• Retail sales (ex fuel, autos) -1.9% vs -3.1% y/y expected
• Prior 2.6%; revised to -1.9%

A solid report with upward revisions in September to boot, as non-food stores sales carried with a growth of 4.2% in the month of October. Looking at the details, some retailers were suggesting that early Christmas trading had boosted sales.

Of note, clothing stores sales volumes in October were just 0.5% below pre-pandemic levels i.e. February 2020. Retail sales volumes as a whole were 5.8% higher than in February 2020.

Meanwhile, the proportion of online sales fell to 27.3% in October - the lowest since March 2020 - but still significantly higher than the 19.7% seen in February last year.