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Retail sales across Great Britain picked up for the second month running in February, new data shows.

The Office for National Statistics has reported that retail sales volumes rose by 1.0% in February 2025, following a 1.4% increase in January, and a 0.5% drop in December

Non-food stores – the total of department, clothing, household and other non-food stores – rose by 3.1% over the month. This put monthly sales volumes at their highest level since March 2022.

“The exceptional volatility in recent retail sales outturns has made it difficult to identify underlying trends. In each of the past two years, sales in food stores have slumped in December, risen markedly in January, then fallen back again in February. Sales figures for non-food stores have also been exceptionally volatile in recent months.

We suspect this reflects a combination of seasonal adjustment problems and the fact that retail sales data can be very noisy. It appears unlikely that the recent strength is indicative of a strong improvement in the underlying performance of the sector, and we expect sales to fall back in the coming months.

“The Trump dump rumbled on, with investors reluctant to take new positions following the latest carmaker tariff trauma and an important week to come.

Shares in carmakers across the globe slammed into reverse following the White House announcement of a 25% tariff on imported cars, which domestically wiped 7% from General Motors shares and some 4% from Ford. The sector is now frantically revising its strategy, with the possibility of moving manufacturing hubs to deal with the new taxes. In any event, questions remain around the impact on supply chains which are intertwined globally, perhaps leading to the inevitable conclusion that car prices will simply have to rise in response. Ironically, there was some strength in shares which deal in used cars as an alternative to these potentially higher prices.