º£½ÇÊÓƵ retail sales climbed last month as Britons basked in the hottest June on record, which boosted demand for food and beverages, official data has shown.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed that overall retail sales volumes jumped by 0.9 per cent in June, bouncing back from a 2.8 per cent decline in May, as shoppers flocked back to the high street, as reported by .
Good weather drives food and drink demand
The figures indicated that the balmy conditions had "a positive effect" on food store sales volumes, which registered a 0.7 per cent uptick after plummeting 5.4 per cent in May.
This improvement was primarily driven by stronger performance in supermarkets, with retailers noting heightened sales of beverages.
Petrol station volumes also surged by 2.8 per cent in June thanks to the favourable weather conditions, marking the steepest monthly increase since May 2024.
Meanwhile, non-store retailers' sales volumes, predominantly comprising online merchants, climbed 1.7 per cent, attributed to promotional activity alongside the sweltering temperatures.
However, non-food store volumes managed only a modest 0.2 per cent rise, which analysts linked to reduced footfall.
Whilst department stores and fashion retailers posted gains during the month, again leaning on discounts and the heatwave, this was countered by declines in household goods sales.
Consumers remain nervous
However, industry insiders cautioned that warmer weather boosting sales doesn't necessarily signal a broader upturn in "consumer confidence", with non-retail expenditure expected to "remain patchy" until shoppers experience genuine improvements in earnings and sentiment.
Nicholas Found, Head of Commercial Content at Retail Economics, observed: "While headline sales figures for June suggest modest momentum on the surface, much of the uplift was seasonal and driven by heavy promotional activity around events, sport and warmer weather."
He added: "Beyond that, demand remains selective. Food inflation is hitting households harder, leading to tighter budgets and renewed uncertainty around the cost of living."
Found also highlighted the challenges facing retailers: "Retailers are walking a fine line. They are working to attract demand without sacrificing margins, all while contending with new structural cost pressures following the Budget."
Jacqui Baker, head of retail at RSM º£½ÇÊÓƵ and chair of ICAEW's Retail Group, commented: "While the June figures are welcome news and consumer confidence ticked up last month, nervousness among consumers persists, and the unexpected rise in inflation won't have helped."
She warned: "The higher price of essentials such as food and fuel will only add to the reluctance among consumers to spend as their discretionary income shrinks."
Online sales bounce back
Online sales bounce back Despite a decrease in footfall impacting non-food store sales, overall online sales across most sectors saw an increase, following two consecutive declines. Sales experienced a 2.3 per cent rise in June, marking a 4.5 per cent increase compared to June 2024.
According to the Met Office climate summaries, England experienced its warmest June on record, making it the second warmest for the º£½ÇÊÓƵ as a whole.
