UK retail growth slowing down

UK retail has grown by 4,8 % in 1-9/2021 compared to last year. The growth was primarily driven by the high sales spike in non-food stores during the late spring and early summer.

Food retailers have returned to low single digit growth numbers that were normal before the pandemic.

Compared to 2019 numbers, non-food retailing is still below the pre-pandemic levels. However, online is +42 % to pre-pandemic levels. The growth of online has started to plateau to a “new normal” level. For non-food a bit more than 20 % and for food it hovers around 10 %.