High food and drink prices caused shoppers to cut back on groceries, resulting in food store sales volumes falling by 0.5% in January, after a fall of 0.7% in December.
The new ONS data also reveals that motorists filled up their cars more often with petrol and diesel in January as the cost of fuel continued to fall. The data shows automotive fuel sales volumes rose by 1.7% last month, after a 0.3% rise in December.
Darren Morgan, Director of Economic Statistics at the ONS, said: “Food store sales dipped again, with consumers reporting they were selecting lower-priced goods as the increased cost of living and higher food prices continue to bite.”
Oliver Vernon-Harcourt, head of retail at Deloitte, said: “Times continue to be tough for the retail sector. Leaders’ focus will remain on sales growth while managing higher costs and changing demand. To do this, retailers will need to ensure they offer the right balance of quality and value for consumers to spend their hard-earned money.
“For those that continue to invest in both their people and customer engagement, better times are ahead.”
