Retail sales: Key Economic Indicators

Retail sales: key indicators on the value of retail sales.

In April 2020, retail sales in the UK totalled £6.7 billion per week, up from £6.0 billion in April. This figure includes money spent in shops, supermarkets, in petrol stations and online.

In the three months to May 2020, the quantity (volume) of retail sales fell by a record 13.3% compared with the previous three months (‘volume’ figures do not include the effect of inflation). Over the year, the volume of retail sales fell by 13.1%. Between April and May, the quantity of retail sales rose by 12.0%, compared with the record fall of 18.1% between March and April. Sales were still down by 13.1% compared with February, before the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Internet sales

The average weekly value of internet sales was £2.2 billion in May 2020, up 57.9% on the year.

This was 32.8% of all retail sales, up from 30.1% in April 2020 and the highest recorded value since this series began in 2006. Internet sales as a proportion of all retail sales have been rising steadily since 2006, though this trend appeared to be ending since the beginning of 2019, with internet sales plateauing at around 20% of all sales.

Sales by sector

The volume of sales in food stores in the three months to May 2020 was up 7.3% on the same period last year. The volume of sales in non-food stores was down 37.8% compared to last year.