UK retail sales unexpectedly fell last month, according to data released on Friday by the Office for National Statistics.
Sales declined by 0.4% in November following a 0.9% increase in October, missing expectations for a 0.3% jump. Sales in October had bounced back from the impact of the additional Bank Holiday in September for the Queen’s funeral.
Excluding fuel, retail sales were down 0.3% on the month in November.
ONS director of economic statistics Darren Morgan said that sales during Black Friday had failed “to provide their usual lift in this sector”.
“However, department stores and households good shops did report increased sales, with these retailers telling us a longer period of Black Friday discounting helped boost sales,” he said.
“Food and alcohol sales were also up, with consumers stocking up early to try to spread the cost of Christmas festivities.”
The figures showed that online sales fell 2.8% in November, continuing a downward trend seen since early 2021, as the wider economy reopened and people were able to shop in stores again. Still, they are 18.2% higher than their pre-Covid February 2020 levels.
