UK Retail Sales December 2026

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes UK Retail Sales for November 2026 on Friday, December 18, 2026, at 7:00 am London time (2:00 am ET). The release measures the value and volume of goods sold by UK retailers during November 2026, giving the first hard evidence of how households spent in the run-up to Christmas. Full schedule and background: UK Retail Sales.

What is the UK Retail Sales report?

Retail Sales is a monthly survey run by the ONS covering around 5,000 UK retailers, from supermarkets and department stores to fuel retailers and online sellers. It reports two main figures: the change in sales volumes (the quantity of goods bought, adjusted for price changes) and sales values (the cash amount spent, unadjusted for inflation). Economists focus mainly on volumes because that strips out the effect of rising or falling prices and shows whether people are actually buying more or less.

The headline figure includes fuel, which can be volatile because petrol and diesel prices swing with oil markets. Analysts also watch the “ex-fuel” measure, which excludes automotive fuel and gives a cleaner read on discretionary spending in shops, online and in supermarkets.

Markets watch retail sales because consumer spending makes up roughly 60% of UK GDP. A strong or weak reading feeds directly into the Bank of England’s assessment of demand in the economy and, by extension, its interest rate decisions.

When is the November retail sales report released?

The ONS releases the November 2026 UK Retail Sales bulletin on December 18, 2026, at 7:00 am GMT (2:00 am ET). The data is published on the ONS website as part of its scheduled release calendar. This is the standard timetable: the ONS typically publishes retail sales for a given month around the middle of the following month.

What is the consensus forecast?

At the time of writing, no consensus forecast for the November 2026 retail sales figures had been located in published economist surveys. A consensus forecast has not yet been published; City economists and data providers such as Reuters typically issue their median forecasts in the days immediately before the release. Similarly, the exact prior reading for October 2026 retail sales could not be verified from the ONS’s official release at the time of writing, since that October data print itself was not yet available to search. Readers should check the ONS release calendar or a live economic calendar closer to the date for the confirmed prior figure and consensus.

What the result could mean

These are possibilities discussed by economists and analysts, not predictions of how the data will actually come in.

Why does this release matter right now?

The Bank of England watches consumer spending closely because it is one of the clearest signals of underlying demand in the economy, alongside the labour market and wage growth. Retail sales data for November is particularly significant because it captures the start of the Christmas shopping period, including Black Friday promotions, giving an early signal of how households are approaching the festive season. Retailers, analysts and the Treasury all use this print to gauge consumer confidence heading into the new year, according to commentary from retail industry bodies such as the British Retail Consortium, which publishes its own spending monitor ahead of the official ONS figures.

What It Means for Your Money

• Mortgages and borrowing: A stronger than expected retail sales figure can make the Bank of England more cautious about cutting interest rates, which affects the cost of new mortgages and other loans. A weaker figure can have the opposite effect.
• Savings: Interest rates on savings accounts tend to track the Bank of England’s base rate, so changes in rate expectations following this data can move the returns available on cash savings.
• Jobs and wages: Weak retail spending can eventually feed through to hiring and pay decisions at retailers, from supermarkets to high street chains, particularly around the busy Christmas trading period.
• Prices: Retail sales values, as opposed to volumes, give a sense of how much price inflation is still showing up on the high street, which matters for anyone budgeting for Christmas shopping.
• Investments, pensions and the pound: UK retail and consumer-facing shares, as well as the value of the pound against the dollar and the euro, can move on the day if the figures surprise markets, since they shift expectations for Bank of England policy. This can also have knock-on effects for European exporters selling into the UK and for pension funds holding UK consumer stocks.

Related events

• Previous release: UK Retail Sales, October 2026 data
• Bank of England interest rate decisions, which weigh consumer spending data heavily in policy discussions
• UK Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation report, which is read alongside retail sales to judge household spending power

Frequently Asked Questions

What time is the November 2026 UK Retail Sales report released?

The ONS publishes the report at 7:00 am London time (2:00 am ET) on December 18, 2026.

How should I read the retail sales figures?

Focus on the month-on-month volume change and the ex-fuel measure, as these strip out price effects and fuel price swings to show real changes in how much people are buying.

How does this data affect interest rates?

The Bank of England uses consumer spending trends, including retail sales, as one input when deciding whether to hold, raise or cut its base rate, which in turn affects mortgage and savings rates.

Where can I find the official release?

The data is published on the ONS release calendar and in the retail sales bulletin on the ONS website.

When is the next UK Retail Sales report?

The following release will cover December 2026 data and is typically published around the middle of January 2027, following the ONS’s usual monthly schedule.