Official ONS figures show retail sales volumes across Great Britain rose by 1.1 per cent in the three months to July 2026 compared with the three months to April 2026, though volumes dipped 0.5 per cent in July itself.
Retail sales volumes in Great Britain rose by 1.1 per cent in the three months to July 2026 compared with the three months to April 2026, the Office for National Statistics has announced. The figures, drawn from the ONS Retail Sales Index, represent a first estimate covering England, Scotland and Wales in both volume and value terms.
The three-month rolling measure smooths out month-to-month swings — and that matters here, because July’s single-month figure actually fell. Volumes declined by 0.5 per cent in July 2026 compared with June 2026, even as the broader trend stayed positive. June itself had posted a 0.7 per cent monthly rise (revised down from an initial estimate of 1.0 per cent), contributing to the upward momentum across the quarter.
The positive three-month reading follows Quarter 2 2026 data — covering April to June — which showed volumes up 0.6 per cent compared with Quarter 1. So the figures show a gradual, if uneven, recovery in consumer spending through mid-2026, with weather-related factors and promotional activity cited by the ONS as influences on sales patterns during this period.
Kent’s retailers and consumers are included within the Great Britain aggregate, meaning the 1.1 per cent rise covers activity on high streets and in retail parks from Maidstone and Canterbury to Ashford, Thanet and Dartford. But the ONS does not publish county-level breakdowns in its headline release, so local performance across Kent could diverge from the national picture in either direction.
For independent shops and chain stores alike, small shifts in volumes can affect staffing, stock orders and pricing. Critics have pointed out that the monthly July dip suggests demand remains volatile, and that headline growth figures can mask sector-specific pressures — especially in discretionary goods — while cost-of-living concerns persist for many households.
Source: @ONS