FX.co ★ UK Retail Sales Growth Exceeds Forecasts

In April 2025, UK retail sales experienced a significant boost, increasing by 1.2% compared to the previous month. This was notably higher than the anticipated 0.2% rise and marked an acceleration from a revised 0.1% increase in March. This represents the most substantial monthly growth since January, primarily fueled by a 3.9% recovery in food store sales following declines in February and March. Supermarkets, specialist food retailers like butchers and bakers, and alcohol and tobacco stores all reported gains, with some attributing this upturn to favorable weather conditions. Conversely, sales volumes in non-food stores decreased by 0.7%, largely due to downturns in clothing stores and other non-food retailers, including sports and second-hand goods stores. Nevertheless, department stores and household goods retailers saw slight increases, also benefiting from improved weather. When excluding fuel, retail sales rose by 1.3% from the prior month. Annually, sales increased by 5%, the most significant rise since February 2022, outpacing the predicted 4.5% and March's 1.9% growth.