UK retail sales unexpectedly rose in December, but fell in the final quarter of the year, numbers on Friday showed.
The Office for National Statistics said retail sales volumes rose 0.4% in December, following a fall of 0.1% in November, beating an FXStreet-cited forecast for a 0.1% decline.
Non-store retailers’ volumes rose in December, following falls in October and November, as the ONS noted that online jewellers reported that demand for precious metals picked up.
The 0.1% fall in November was unrevised, while the ONS revised up October’s reading to a 0.8% fall from a 0.9% decline previously.
Retail sales volumes in December were 2.5% higher than a year ago, beating expectations of a 1.0% increase.
In the quarter to December, retail sales volumes were down 0.3% compared to the previous quarter.
The ONS said both supermarkets and non-store retailers’ sales both fell following a ‘strong’ third quarter.
Annual sales volumes rose 1.3% over the year to 2025, with increases in both food and non-food stores, as well as non-store retailers.
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