Great Britain Retail Sales Plunge 1.3% in April as Fuel Purchases Drop More Than 10%
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · May 22
Great Britain Retail Sales Plunge 1.3% in April as Fuel Purchases Drop More Than 10%
6 articles · Updated · The Guardian · May 22
A 1.3% monthly fall in Great Britain’s retail sales volumes in April marked the biggest contraction since May 2025 and came in worse than the 0.6% decline economists expected.
Fuel purchases drove the drop, plunging more than 10% from March — the steepest fall since November 2020 — after motorists had stocked up during March’s Iran war-driven price spike.
Even excluding fuel, retail sales still fell 0.4%; clothing stores were hit hardest with a 2.4% decline, while beauty, computer and tech shops showed stronger demand.
March’s retail gain was revised down to 0.6% from 0.7%, underscoring how a fuel-led surge — including a 6.1% jump in fuel volumes — quickly reversed in April.
PwC said April was the first clear month when the Middle East conflict hit British consumers, with attention now turning to whether better weather and softer inflation lift May spending.
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