April’s sales fall was largely driven by the Easter shift, with food hit hardest and furniture slowing, says the British Retail Consortium (BRC).
According to the latest BRC-KPMG Retail Sales Monitor, UK Total retail sales decreased by 3% year on year in April, against a growth of 7% in April 2025. This was below the 12-month average growth of 1.8%.
Food sales decreased by 2.5% year on year in April, against a growth of 8.2% in April 2025. This was below the 12-month average growth of 3.5%.
Non-Food sales decreased by 3.3% year on year in April, against a growth of 6.1% in April 2025. This was below the 12-month average growth of 0.3%.
In-Store Non-Food sales decreased by 4.0% year on year in April, against a growth of 5.6% in April 2025. This was below the 12-month average growth of 0.4%.
Online Non-Food sales decreased by 2.3% year on year in April, against a growth of 7% in April 2025. This was below the 12-month average growth of 0.3%.
The online penetration rate (the proportion of Non-Food items bought online) increased to 37.9% in April from 37.4% in April 2025. This was above the 12-month average of 37.5%.
Taking March and April together, and comparing them with the same two-month period in 2025, (to account for the timing of Easter), UK Total retail sales increased by 1.5% year on year.
Helen Dickinson, Chief Executive at the British Retail Consortium, said: “April’s sales fall was largely driven by the Easter shift, with food hit hardest. But weak consumer confidence also played a role as fears about the Middle East conflict driving up living costs led shoppers to rein in. Big-ticket purchases fell, with the recent recovery in furniture losing steam, and uncertainty around summer holidays hitting discretionary spend. With the World Cup coming, retailers hope it will provide a lift, and early signs show demand for TVs and sound systems picking up.
“Global events might be out of government’s hands, but costs imposed at home are not. Ministers must act now to curb the impact on consumers from soaring costs. That means cutting non-commodity energy charges – which include the taxes and levies that make up to two thirds of retailers’ energy bills, scrapping or reforming the triple tax on packaging, and delaying the upcoming changes to the way we measure the nutritional content of food. The time to act is now if government wants to protect consumers and support growth in the challenging few months ahead.”
