Furniture retail sales fell during July on last month but rose against an annual comparison.
According to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics, furniture and lighting retail sales fell 23.3% to £1.18bn from £1.54bn in June. Compared to the previous year, sales were up 17% from £1bn.
July also marked the lowest sales of 2026 so far, falling below February’s figure of £1.19bn. The downturn was off the back of June recording the highest sales of the year to date.
Floorcovering retail sales decreased month-on-month, down by 15.9% to £223.6m from £266m. Compared to the same time last year, sales rose by 5.6% from £211.7m.
Overall, retail sales volumes (quantity bought) fell by 0.5% in July 2026. This follows a rise of 0.7% in June 2026. As for the value (amount spent), this was down 19.6% month-on-month to £42.4bn.
Meanwhile, over a three-month period, non-food stores sales volumes (the total of department, clothing, household, and other non-food stores) rose by 1.0% over the latest three months. Within household goods stores, furniture stores rose in both May and June.
Within the monthly series, online sales values fell by 3.9% over the month to July 2026, from an increase of 2.5% in June but were 6.5% higher compared with July 2025. The total spend (the sum of in-store and online sales) fell by 0.6% over the month. As a result, the proportion of sales made online fell from 29.2% in June 2026 to 28.3% in July 2026.
Commenting on the retail sales figures up to July 2026, ONS chief economist Grant Fitzner said: “Retail sales increased in the latest three months, with all main sectors, apart from motor fuel, seeing growth.
“Some retailers told us that hot weather and promotions helped sales of outdoor products and items such as fans, with clothing and online sports merchandise also doing well.”
