UK retail sales fell in November for the second consecutive month, as the Black Friday spending boost proved weaker than usual, according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Retail sales volumes fell by 0.1% in November, following a 0.9% decline in October, after a rise of 0.8% in September.

However, shopper sentiment showed signs of improvement, with the GfK Consumer Confidence Index rising by two points in December to minus 17. All five measures in the survey improved month-on-month, rebounding from November, which had been impacted by pre-Budget uncertainty.

“This year, November’s Black Friday discounts did not boost sales as much as in some recent years, meaning that once we adjust for usual seasonality, our headline figures fell a little on the month,” commented Hannah Finselbach, Senior Statistician at the ONS.

Commenting on the figures, Nicholas Found, head of commercial content at Retail Economics, said: “November underlines just how fragile retail remains. While Black Friday was the month’s defining event, its impact was dampened by heightened uncertainty ahead of the Budget, with shoppers tactical and value-focused. Growth was concentrated in fashion, beauty and home, but it was narrow and selective, shaped by tight household budgeting rather than renewed confidence.”

Non-store retail sales fell, with online jewellers reporting reduced demand as precious metal prices stabilised. Supermarket sales volumes fell for a fourth consecutive month, with food retailers citing persistent low footfall.

This was partly offset by a 1.0% rise in non-food stores (including department, clothing, household, and other non-food retailers), which some retailers attributed to extended Black Friday discounting. Footwear and leather goods also performed well.

Commenting on the consumer confidence figures, Neil Bellamy, consumer insights director at GfK, said: “Have people decided to spend on Christmas regardless, and worry about 2026 later? However, looking at the full year, the December headline score of -17 is the same as 12 months ago, and on that basis 2025 has been a year of no progress.”

Despite the two consecutive monthly declines, ONS sales volumes rose in the three months to November 2025.

Sales volumes increased by 0.6% in the three months to November 2025, compared with the three months to August 2025 and were 0.7% higher than the same period last year.

“Retail continued to grow in the three months to November, helped by a strong performance from clothing and tech shops”, added Finselbach.

Clothing sales performed strongly in September,while within other non-food categories, computers and telecoms retailers benefited from new product launches in September and October. Within household goods, furniture retailers recorded sales growth for the fifht consecutive month.