Shop sales in December fell for the second consecutive month, new figures show.
Retail sales volumes are estimated to have fallen by 1% from the month before, following a drop of 0.5% in November, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.
Sales in non-food stores were down 2.1% over the month and food store sales volumes also fell, with a drop of 0.3% in December from a rise of 1.0% in November.
“After last month’s boost as shoppers stocked up early, food sales fell back again in December with supermarkets reporting this was due to increased food prices and the rising cost of living,” said Heather Bovill, deputy director for surveys and economic indicators at the ONS.
There was also a dip in online sales in December, with anecdotal evidence suggesting that postal strikes were leading people to buy more goods in-store.
Compared with December 2021, sales volumes were down 5.8%.
The report also included data for the whole of 2022, showing that retail sales volumes fell by 3.0% compared with an increase of 5.2% in 2021. In addition to rising prices and the cost of living, retail sales last year were affected by the lifting of restrictions on hospitality which led to a return to eating out.
Retail remains 1.7% below its pre-pandemic level.
