Retail sales growth slows as shoppers rein in non-essential spending

Retail sales rose just 1% year-on-year in May, marking the slowest growth recorded so far in 2025 as shoppers tightened their grip on non-essential spending.
According to the latest BRC-KPMG Retail Sales Monitor, growth in total sales slowed from 0.7% in the same month last year, with non-food sales slipping 1.1% year-on-year – unchanged from the same month in 2024.
In-store non-food sales were down 0.9%, while online non-food sales dropped by 1.5%. The proportion of non-food items bought