Retail sales, Great Britain: August 2026

The quantity of goods bought (volume) in retail sales is estimated to have risen by 0.9% in the three months to August 2026, compared with the three months to May 2026. Non-store retailers' sales volumes rose following a particularly strong June period, while food stores did well across the latest three months.

Retail sales volumes are estimated to have risen by 0.5% in August 2026. This follows a fall of 0.5% in July 2026 (unrevised from our previous bulletin), and a rise of 0.6% in June 2026 (revised down from a 0.7% rise in our previous bulletin). Non-store retailers partially recovered from falls in July 2026, with lower sales volumes in July attributed to promotions occurring earlier in June 2026. Department stores also picked up in August following stock availability issues in July.

In the three months to August 2026, sales volumes:

• rose by 0.9% compared with the three months to May 2026

• rose by 2.4% compared with the three months to August 2025

In August 2026, sales volumes:

• rose by 0.5% over the month, following a fall of 0.5% in July 2026

• rose by 2.4% compared with August 2025

These data are available in our Retail Sales Index dataset.

Sales volumes rose by 0.9% in the three months to August 2026 compared with the three months to May 2026. Non-store retailers' sales volumes grew strongly in June 2026. The warm weather increased sales of items such as fans and air conditioning units, with retailers also benefitting from sales of sports merchandise and clothing. Food stores also rose over the three months, with supermarkets doing well in both July and August. Retailers selling alcohol and beverages performed well across all three months to August 2026, which they attributed to promotions, the hot weather, and the World Cup.

Non-food stores sales volumes (the total of department, clothing, household, and other non-food stores) rose by 0.2% over the three months to August, with sales volumes up for both clothing retailers and art dealers in June.

Fuel sales fell in the three months to August 2026 compared with the three months to May 2026. Many retailers reported that the rise in sales volumes in March 2026 was because motorists had stocked up on fuel as a result of the conflict in the Middle East. This was followed by a fall in fuel sales in April 2026, as retailers suggested that motorists made fewer journeys and delayed filling their tanks as prices rose. Following a rise in sales in July 2026, fuel sales volumes fell over the month to August as prices rose sharply. Retailers suggested consumer habits may be changing in reaction to high prices, such as only partially filling their tanks.

Total sales volumes (including automotive fuel) rose by 0.5% over the month to August 2026, and were at their second highest level since April 2022, just below June 2026. Non-store retailers' sales volumes partially recovered in August from a fall in July. This was attributed to earlier promotional activity in June resulting in lower July sales, while some non-store retailers also reported that sales were strong in August. Non-food stores sales volumes rose by 0.6% on the month, with department stores recovering from a fall in July which retailers attributed to stock availability issues. Furthermore, clothing stores partially recovered from a fall in July, when it was reported that promotional activity in June pulled sales forward.

The amount spent online, known as "online spending values", rose by 1.9% in the three months to August 2026 compared with the three months to May 2026. Online spending values rose by 10.1% on the three months to August 2025.

Within the monthly series, online sales values rose by 2.5% over the month to August 2026, up from a fall of 4.2% in July, and were 8.9% higher compared with August 2025.

The total spend (the sum of in-store and online sales) rose by 1.3% over the month. As a result, the proportion of sales made online rose from 28.4% in July 2026 to 28.8% in August 2026.

For August 2026, the Retail Sales Index (RSI) survey response rates were 56.7% based on returned forms, which is 2.8 percentage points below the average of the past 12 months. This accounted for 92.3% of total turnover coverage of the sample population, 5.8 percentage points above the average of the past 12 months. Historical response information is available in our Retail sales quality tables dataset.

Information on how we calculated the data, including strengths and limitations, and a glossary of relevant terms, is available in our Retail Sales Index quality and methodology information (QMI) report.

Re-referencing of indices

Previously, retail sales indices were referenced to 2023 equals 100 (that is, for each component, the average of the monthly indices of that year are set to equal 100). Ahead of the publication of UK National Accounts, The Blue Book: 2026 (released on 30 October 2026), the reference period has been updated to 2024 equals 100 for this release. Blue Book 2026 consistent data will be included for the first time in our GDP quarterly national accounts, UK: April to June 2026 bulletin (released on 30 September 2026). Please note re-referencing does not affect growth rates.

Seasonal adjustment

Seasonally adjusted estimates are derived by estimating and removing calendar effects (for example, Easter moving between March and April), and seasonal effects (for example, increased spending in December because of Christmas) from the non-seasonally adjusted estimates.

We use the X-13ARIMA-SEATS approach to seasonal adjustment. Seasonal adjustment parameters are monitored closely and are regularly reviewed. Improvements following our full annual seasonal adjustment review were last implemented as part of the June 2026 release. More information is available in our Seasonal adjustment methodology.

Seasonal adjustment is applied at the industry level, and the seasonally adjusted series are aggregated to create estimates by industry sector and total retail. As part of our quality assurance approach, residual seasonality checks are completed regularly by our time series analysis team on both the seasonally adjusted series and the indirectly derived aggregate time series.

Based on current data, we find no residual seasonality in the main aggregate for monthly retail sales estimates. We have separately published our comprehensive methodology on How the Office for National Statistics (ONS) assesses statistical outputs for residual seasonality.

Consultation on release times for market sensitive economic statistics

We are reviewing the release times for our market sensitive economic statistics, such as Retail sales. This review will consider whether the current arrangements continue to best serve the public good, support user needs and align with the principles set out in the Code of Practice for Statistics.

We are running a consultation to gather evidence on the impact of different release times. The consultation asks how you use market-sensitive economic statistics, your views on potential release time options, and any other considerations. Please note that this consultation will be closing on Friday 30 October 2026

Accredited official statistics

These accredited official statistics were independently reviewed by the Office for Statistics Regulation in March 2015. They comply with the standards of trustworthiness, quality, and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics and should be labelled "accredited official statistics".