LONDON, July 14 (Xinhua) -- Britain's retail sales increased by 1.9 percent year-on-year in June, boosted by the heatwave, easing of food price inflation and the World Cup games, data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) showed Tuesday.
The growth was slower than the 3.1-percent rise recorded in June 2025, and was flat against the 12-month average growth, according to the BRC.
Specifically, food sales rose by 2.8 percent while non-food sales went up 1.2 percent.
The online penetration rate, or the proportion of non-food items bought online, increased to 39 percent in June from 37.7 percent one year ago, and was above the 12-month average, the data showed.
Sarah Bradbury, chief executive officer at the Institute of Grocery Distribution, said June's record-breaking heat, slight easing of food price inflation and the start of the World Cup gave retailers a welcome boost, encouraging more frequent top-up shops.
While in-store sales were stifled by soaring temperatures, the proportion of sales online was the highest of 2026, bolstered by well-timed promotions, said Helen Dickinson, chief executive at the BRC.
But she cautioned that a heatwave makes retail operations more challenging, from keeping shelves stocked to keeping products and people cool. "These pressures come on top of rising business rates, higher employment taxes and ongoing global uncertainty, all of which are squeezing retailers' ability to invest, create jobs and keep prices down," she added.
Bradbury also warned that looking ahead, "ongoing political uncertainty and the impact of the Middle East conflict starting to filter through to food prices, may weigh on confidence once again."
