June heatwave dents footfall but fails to derail UK retail sales

According to the latest figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and KPMG, retail income were up 1.9% year-on-year, matching the mean for the past year, but were little than the 3.1% summation recorded successful June 2025.

For the 5 weeks to 4 July 2026, non-food sales, including clothing, grew by 1.2% successful June, surpassing the yearly mean maturation complaint of 0.6%.

Sales of non-food items wrong carnal stores besides dropped by 1.1% against the aforesaid period past year.

This comes arsenic precocious thoroughfare visits dropped by 6.2% successful June, sharper than May's 1.5% drop, and buying centres experienced a 2.5% autumn successful footfall, according to BRC-Sensormatic data.

In contrast, online non-food income posted an summation of 5.1% year-on-year, considerably supra the 1.5% mean implicit the erstwhile 12 months.

The stock of non-food purchases made online reached 39.0% successful June, rising from 37.7% successful June 2025 and staying supra the 12-month mean of 37.9%.

BRC main enforcement Helen Dickinson said: "Retail income maintained momentum contempt June's heatwave. While in-store income were stifled by soaring temperatures, the proportionality of income online was the highest of 2026, bolstered by well-timed promotions.

"A heatwave doesn't conscionable alteration however customers store – it makes retail operations much challenging, from keeping shelves stocked to keeping products and radical cool. These pressures travel connected apical of rising concern rates, higher employment taxes and ongoing planetary uncertainty, each of which are squeezing retailers' quality to invest, make jobs and support prices down. With a caller authorities connected its mode in, a much joined-up attack to argumentation volition beryllium indispensable if retail is to realise its afloat potential."

KPMG UK Consumer, Retail & Leisure caput Linda Ellett added: "Record-breaking temperatures continued from May into June, with retail income again rising. As the summertime vacation play gets acceptable to afloat begin, retailers volition beryllium looking to physique connected the summation successful covering income for some adults and children that was seen during June."

"June heatwave dents footfall but fails to derail UK retail sales" was primitively created and published by Just Style, a GlobalData owned brand.