Retail sales fall in October as wet weather dampens spending

New figures by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) have revealed that retail sales fell in October as the wet weather impacted footfall and spending across the country.

According to the organisation, retail sales volumes fell 0.3 percent over the month, following a steeper 1.1 percent decrease in September. In the three months to October, sales volumes fell 1.1 percent compared to the prior three months.

Non-food stores sales volume fell by 0.2 percent, up from the 2.1 percent in September, with cost-of-living, reduced footfall and wet weather being cited as the main impacting factors.

Clothing stores had reported a 0.9 percent drop in sales, attributing the decrease to “unseasonably warm weather” that affected the sale of autumn and winter wear.

Department store sales had less of an issue, with just a 0.1 percent drop in sales throughout the month, largely due to a drop in consumer confidence.

The only sub-sector to see positive growth was reported to be other non-food stores, with sales rising 0.8 percent as watches and jewellery stores saw a partial rebound following a fall in the month prior.