The UK’s official statistics body released its retail sales figures for August on Friday and the overall number was up, with clothing being one of the most buoyant categories.
Photo: Pixabay
Retail sales volumes are estimated to have risen by 0.5% in August 2025, following an increase of 0.5% in July (revised down from a 0.6% rise in the last bulletin). Clothing stores, butchers and bakers, and non-store retailing grew in August, which some retailers attributed to the good weather. Textile, clothing and shoe stores actually rose 1.3% for the month.
But volumes are estimated to have fallen by 0.1% in the three months to August 2025 when compared with the three months to May 2025. Although increases in non-store retailing and clothing stores (the former up 2.9% and the latter up 2.2%) helped to partly offset drops in other sectors.
August marked the third consecutive period of monthly growth, but volumes didn’t quite return to their recent March 2025 peak and are still below the last month before the pandemic hit the UK (February 2020).
The amount spent online rose by 2% when comparing the three months to August 2025 with the three months to May 2025, and by 3.4% year on year.
In addition to those figures, there were some interesting stats released Friday by Shopify with its MD EMEA, Deann Evans, saying its data showed back-to-school shopping “remained a key driver, with the sales of school uniforms up by 55.2% compared to July”.
But the data also showed that “consumers are already looking ahead to the festive season, with sales of advent calendars up 36.3%, wreaths up 32.7%, and fireworks and firecrackers up 15.4% in August. This could be an early indication that households are spreading out festive spending and avoiding a last-minute rush”.
Analysts were generally upbeat but also cautious with Oliver Vernon-Harcourt, head of retail at Deloitte, saying: “Retail sales in August were bolstered by continued warm weather as consumers enjoyed the final month of summer. Encouragingly, spending on discretionary items including clothing also rose. While the summer months have been positive for retail sales, all eyes are now on the Golden Quarter – the most important few months of the year for retailers. The change of the seasons in September should no doubt encourage consumers to purchase items for their winter wardrobes, but many businesses will be hoping that rain doesn’t deter shoppers from the high street.”
Meanwhile Jacqueline Windsor, Head of Retail at PwC, said: “Overall, August caps off a better-than-expected summer, particularly for non-food retailers, with sales of seasonal lines boosted by the hottest summer temperatures on record. However, overall sales volumes remain below pre-pandemic levels, so the high street is far from being out of the woods. After some respite from the cost-of-living crisis last year, over four in five consumers now tell us they are concerned about inflation”.
And that’s a concern that can’t be ignored as consumer confidence was down two points in September to -19, according to GfK’s long-running monthly measurement that was also released on Friday.
All measures were down in comparison to last month’s announcement.
Neil Bellamy, GfK’s Consumer Insights Director, said: “There’s an autumnal chill in the air this month, with all five measures of consumer confidence down and the Overall Index Score for September slipping. The August seventh decrease in interest rates does not appear to have provided any obvious boost to the financial mood of consumers or drawn attention away from day-to-day cost issues. Both personal finance measures – past and future – are lower, while our major purchases measure has dropped three points to -16.
“Even more striking is an eight-point fall in saving intentions. Looking at the economy, sentiment is sliding sharply: in June 2024 our forward-looking measure stood at -11, but just 15 months later it has slumped to -32. Perceptions of the past year remain weak too, down three from last month to -45. With tax rises expected in the November budget, the risk is that confidence inevitably falls, just like the autumn leaves.”
Fine jewellery brand Senco Gold & Diamonds has expanded its men’s offering and launched new brand ‘Aham,’ designed to cater to modern Indian grooms with a range of gold, diamond, and platinum options.
A look from Senco Gold & Diamonds’ new brand Aham – Senco Gold & Diamonds – Facebook
“Aham draws inspiration from the evolving equal relationships of modern Indian couples where the groom’s style is now as significant as the bride’s,” said Senco Gold & Diamonds’ director and head of marketing and designs Joita Sen in a press release. “What we’ve seen in most Indian weddings so far is the groom looking on indulgently as his better half glitters in her wedding jewellery. With Aham, we wanted to change that narrative and have the couple dazzle equally in their Senco adornments! Each piece of this collection allows the groom the freedom to express his personal style, most naturally and effortlessly.”
Now available in Senco Gold & Diamonds’ pan-India brick-and-mortar stores, online, and on the Senco shopping app, Aham’s ‘Wedding Season Collection’ presents a contemporary take on traditional wedding jewellery. The label’s maiden collection features over 800 designs including kadas, platinum wristwear, diamond-set rings, and more minimalist cufflinks, along with a selection of fusion pieces in two-tone styles.
Senco Gold & Diamonds’ parent company Senco Gold Limited was incorporated in Kolkata in 1994, according to its website. The business counts over 175 stores in India.
Gucci owner Kering and private equity firm Ardian said on Tuesday they had completed a joint venture agreement for a New York property deal valued at $900 million.
Kering’s brands include Saint Laurent, Gucci, and Balenciaga – Reuters
Under the deal concluded earlier this year, Kering is contributing the property at 715-717 Fifth Avenue in New York to a newly created joint venture with Ardian, the companies said in a joint statement. Ardian will hold a 60% stake in this, with Kering retaining 40% and receiving $690 million in net proceeds.
The transaction is part of Kering’s broader strategy to secure control of high-profile retail locations while also raising cash. In January, Kering said it had transferred three of its Paris real estate assets to a new joint venture with Ardian, freeing up 837 million euros in proceeds.
“Like the investment agreement already signed in Paris, this transaction allows us to secure another long term highly prominent retail location for our houses while enhancing our financial flexibility,” said Kering chief operating officer Jean-Marc Duplaix, commenting on the New York Ardian deal.
London’s Selfridges continues to be the pop-up destination of choice in London’s West End (Harrods has that status in Knightsbridge) and one of the world’s best known labels will be there as of January.
Dior
Dior, which already has a strong presence in the London flagship will be unveiling its first pop-up boutique for its new summer 2026 creations inside the in-demand Corner Shop.
That’s important because it will celebrate the launch of Jonathan Anderson’s first collection.
Running from 8 January to 28 February, the unique space will “reveal a playful world like a waking dream”. The company said the summer 2026 menswear collection “breathes a certain spontaneity into the art of dressing, while the womenswear line radiates freshness, with leather goods presented alongside exquisite creations. An exceptional selection that expresses the reinvented essence of Dior”.
Dior is currently inviting customers to book appointments and said it will “extend the experience through a curated selection of exclusive events at the pop-up boutique”.
That includes notebook personalisation with “a nod to Versailles-style gilding, personalised detailing applied by an expert [that] promises to add a truly signature touch”. And there’s also bookmark calligraphy where visitors can add their initials to a bookmark, inspired by the newest Dior Book Tote designs by Anderson.
The news of the pop-up comes in the same week that Dior unveiled its super-sized flagship concept House of Dior Beijing. That five-storey space dwarfs the Selfridges space but underscores the ambitious plans LVMH has for the brand, the huge investment Dior is putting into its global growth and its targeting of key luxury markets.
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