Sales at UK retailers increased in July as shops were buoyed by good weather and the women’s Euro 2025 tournament.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the total volume of retail sales is estimated to have risen by 0.6% in July.
This was stronger than the 0.3% some analysts had pencilled in for the month.
Online shops helped drive the uplift, with retailers citing sunny summer weather, new product ranges and the football tournament attracting more shoppers.
However, overall retail sales declined by 0.6% in the three months to July, when compared with the three months to April.
The latest release from the ONS was delayed after the statisticians identified an issue with how it aligns its data with calendar months.
The review has resulted in revisions to previous retail sales data, including to most months over the past year.
James Benford, ONS director general of economic statistics, said: “Overall, retail sales were a little lower over the latest three months as a whole compared to the previous three.
“Supermarkets, sports shops and household goods stores had a strong start to the year, but spending there has fallen since March.
“That weakness was partially offset by the strong showing from online and clothing and footwear stores.”
Mr Benford added: “I apologise for the delay to this release and for the errors in how we have been seasonally adjusting these data.”
The errors resulted in previous figures “overstating the monthly volatility in retail sales” over the first half of 2025, he said.
June’s retail sales data has been revised to a 0.3% increase, down from the previous 0.9%.
