Scoopfeeds — Intelligent news, curated.
Hot weather behind rise in retail sales in Great Britain in May
top

Hot weather behind rise in retail sales in Great Britain in May

The Guardian · Jun 19, 2026, 8:17 AM · Also reported by 3 other sources

Key takeaways

  • Photograph: Sol Stock/Getty Images View image in fullscreen Paddleboard sales were up after a record hot May.
  • Prefer the Guardian on Google Retail sales bounced back to growth in May as record hot weather spurred sales of fans and paddling pools, while online purchases also soared.
  • The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the volume of retail sales in Great Britain grew 1.2% in May compared with the previous month, the strongest monthly rate of growth since January.

Why this matters: a developing story that could shape the day's news cycle.

Paddleboard sales were up after a record hot May. Photograph: Sol Stock/Getty Images View image in fullscreen Paddleboard sales were up after a record hot May. Photograph: Sol Stock/Getty Images Retail industry Hot weather behind rise in retail sales in Great Britain in May Sales rose 1.2% on back of demand for items such as fans and paddling pools, says Office for National Statistics

Prefer the Guardian on Google Retail sales bounced back to growth in May as record hot weather spurred sales of fans and paddling pools, while online purchases also soared.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the volume of retail sales in Great Britain grew 1.2% in May compared with the previous month, the strongest monthly rate of growth since January.

Article preview — originally published by The Guardian. Full story at the source.
Read full story on The Guardian → More top stories

Also covered by

Aggregated and edited by the Scoop newsroom. We surface news from The Guardian alongside other reporting so you can compare coverage in one place. Editorial policy · Corrections · About Scoop