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Official figures showed retail sales by volume fell 1.1% during October, following an upwardly revised increase of 0.7% in September.
Holly WilliamsFriday 21 November 2025 08:44 GMT
Retail sales fell unexpectedly last month for the first time since May in the latest sign of consumer caution ahead of the Budget (Alamy/PA)
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Retail sales fell unexpectedly last month for the first time since May in the latest sign of consumer caution ahead of the Budget.
Official figures showed retail sales by volume fell 1.1% during October, following an upwardly revised increase of 0.7% in September.
Most economists had forecast for retail sales to remain unchanged month-on-month in October.
In the three months to October, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said retail sales lifted 1.1% compared with the previous three months.
The figures follow a raft of retailers reporting that shopper spending has pulled back due to uncertainty over the upcoming Budget, including high street stalwart Marks & Spencer.
And figures out separately from GfK on Friday showed consumer confidence has fallen across all measures this month as it said the public is “bracing for difficult news” in next week’s Budget.
The ONS said that retailers were also seeing some spending held back in October ahead of this month’s Black Friday promotions.
ONS chief economist Grant Fitzner said: “Supermarkets, clothing stores and online retailers all saw slower sales, with feedback from some retailers that consumers were waiting for November’s Black Friday deals.”
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