Retail sales climbed again in April but online results were patchier, says Parcelhero.
Today’s ONS retail sales results for April reveal a fourth consecutive rise in sales volumes, up 1.2%, as shoppers shrugged off economic bad news and hit the High Street. However, the picture for online sales was more mixed, says the home delivery expert Parcelhero.
Sales volumes rose by 1.2% in April, reveals today’s Office for National Statistics (ONS) retail sales bulletin. That’s the fourth consecutive rise.
Not only did the amount Brits buy climb but sales values – the amount we all spent – were also up, observes the home delivery expert Parcelhero. April’s total spend (the sum of in-store and online sales) rose by 0.7%.
Parcelhero’s Head of Consumer Research, David Jinks M.I.L.T., says: ‘Once again, Brits shrugged off economic concerns including the introduction of measures announced in the last Budget such as the rise in employers’ National Insurance contributions and Trump’s tariffs. This 1.2% rise in sales volumes over March is a strong result.
‘That’s not the end of the good news for retailers. Sales volumes were up a whopping 5% YOY over April 2024’s results. To put the results into context, sales volumes reached their highest level since July 2022.
‘Food stores led the way. Their sales volumes grew by an impressive 3.9% in April, which retailers attributed to the good weather.
‘For e-commerce retailers and sellers, however, the picture is more nuanced. The good news is that sales volumes for non-store retailers (the sector predominantly made up of online-only retailers) were up by 0.5%. That’s an impressive result considering that the exceptionally sunny April lured many consumers away from their laptops to shop on the High Street.
‘However, the not-so-good news is that the amount Brits spent online, known as “online spending values”, fell by -0.3%. A -5.9% dip in sales values for ”other non-food stores” (the category which includes online non-food retailers other than department stores, fashion sites and household goods sellers) was the biggest fall, as Brits cut back on non-essential spending online. Even here, however, it wasn’t all bad news, as sales values rose by 6.1% YOY comparing April 2025 with April 2024.
‘All in all, this was again a surprisingly good set of results for retailers both on the High Street and online. Analysts have consistently predicted that consumers’ nerves will crack as the economy continues to wobble. However, these results show that, so far, the heady mix of competitive retail offers and spring sunshine has kept us all spending.
‘The balance of online to High Street sales maintained the same broad equilibrium that’s been established since the end of the Covid pandemic. The proportion of sales made online fell just fractionally, from 27.1% of the entire retail market in March to 26.8% in April. Ultimately, it’s those stores with a combined High Street and online offering that are most protected against unexpected events. Parcelhero’s influential report “2030: Death of the High Street” has been discussed in Parliament. It reveals that retailers must develop an omnichannel approach, embracing both online and physical store sales.
