Retail sales volumes jump 1.8% despite Brexit uncertainty

In the three months to April 2019, the quantity of goods bought in retail sales increased by 1.8%, when compared with the previous three months.

This was supported by a strong growth in non-store retailing, which reached a “record high” of 9.4%. When compared with the previous year, the quantity bought in April 2019 increased by 5.2%, with growth across all sectors except household goods, which fell by 4.5%.

In April 2019, online retailing accounted for 18.7% of total retailing compared with 17.7% in April 2018, with an overall growth of 10.1% when compared with the same month a year earlier.

Rhian Murphy, head of retail sales at the ONS, said: “Retail growth was strong in the three months to April with a record quarter for the online sector, driven mainly by clothing purchases, with warmer weather boosting sales. Elsewhere, department stores continued to see their sales fall.”