In its first estimate published on 18 September, the UK Office for National Statistics (ONS) said retail sales volumes in Great Britain rose 0.5% in August 2026 from the previous month. This partly recovered the 0.5% fall recorded in July. June’s increase was revised down from 0.7% in the previous bulletin to 0.6%. Over the three months to August, sales volumes rose 0.9% compared with the three months to May. The three-month measure was 2.4% higher than a year earlier. The monthly figure captures a single month’s movement, which is more volatile, while the rolling three-month comparison smooths some of those short-term changes.

The ONS said non-store retailers partly recovered in August from July’s falls after promotions had taken place earlier, in June. Department stores also picked up following stock availability issues in July. Food stores performed well across the latest three months, while the broader pattern for non-store sales reflected a particularly strong June. These sector details offer context for the aggregate index; they do not mean that every retailer or business experienced the same sales outcome.

The reported indicator measures the quantity of goods bought, or sales volume, rather than the value of sales at current prices. That distinction matters because price changes can alter how much product consumers receive for a given amount spent. The ONS said the monthly path is more volatile than the smoother rolling three-month series and based the first estimate on its Monthly Business Survey Retail Sales Inquiry. The geography is Great Britain; Northern Ireland is outside the coverage of this series. The figures describe August and cannot establish what happened to consumer demand in later months. ONS datasets provide comparable series by retail type and over time.