FOI reference: FOI-2025-3112
You asked
I am emailing to request any correspondence, reports and presentations relating to the delay to July 2025 retail sales data. I am looking for any information sent over the past year ending 31 August.
We said
Thank you for your request.
A decision was made to pause the Retails Sales Index publication as a problem was identified with a file used to adjust for our survey reference periods not aligning precisely with calendar months. and was announced on 19 August 2025. An issue was first identified on 7 July 2025 but at that stage the impact was unknown. By 28 July 2025 there was an approximation of the impact and following this, work to agree a method to fix and to calculate the exact impact began. Due to the time needed to fully assess, analyse and correct the publication needed to be delayed by 2 weeks.
We released a publication on Friday 5 September regarding the delay to retail sales, which provides the ONS position: Retail Sales
As your request asks for any correspondence we hold regarding the delay to retail sales data, as well as report and presentations, the searches involved in locating all working level and formal correspondence would exceed the cost limit for FOIA compliance. Searches would encompass around 8 business areas and involve the search of around 50 staff members' mailboxes, personal and shared workspaces, and any other collaboration platforms. Factoring the time taken to complete these searches and locate relevant information, as well as locating any reports and presentations regarding this topic would take us over the cost limit. As such Section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) is engaged.
We advise narrowing the scope of your request so we may answer within the cost limit. This could include more easily retrievable records such as formal correspondence, reports and presentations.