November 2018 UK Retail Sales: Unexpectedly Strong Numbers

Executive Summary

Coresight Research’s monthly reports keep you up to date on US and UK retail sales, US retail traffic and in-store metrics, selected US retailers’ same-store sales and key global consumer indicators. Click here to view our full collection of Monthly Reports.

Our monthly UK Retail Sales Report reviews the latest sector data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Highlights from our November UK Retail Sales Report:

• The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported surprisingly solid retail growth for November, despite downbeat commentary by some major UK retailers.
• Total sales were up 4.4% year over year, driven by ongoing volume increases.
• Growth was driven by specialized retail sectors, such as food specialists, DIY stores and health-and-beauty retailers.
• The grocery sector saw growth of just 1.1% year over year, while clothing retailers’ growth was only 0.5%.
• The ONS reported online retail sales exceeded 20% of all retail sales for the first time, in line with our forecast for e-commerce to account for 20.6% of total November and December sales.