SALES ACROSS GB TOWNS AND CITIES FELL BY -4% YEAR-ON-YEAR IN FEBRUARY 2026, A SHARPER DECLINE THAN JANUARY’S -0.7% DECREASE.

According to Diane Wehrle, of Rendle Intelligence and Insights & Beauclair’s Brand Ambassador.  

Sales across GB towns and cities fell by –4.0% year-on-year in February 2026, a sharper decline than January’s -0.7% decrease, despite little change in underlying economic conditions. Persistent heavy rainfall throughout the month, which discourages consumers to make trips to town centres, is likely to have been a key contributor to the weaker performance.

There were noticeable year on year drops in both customers (-4.2%) and transactions (-5.7%) and, whilst the average transaction value rose (+1.8%), the increase was modest, suggesting ongoing consumer caution regarding spending.

All five key sectors – those sectors that account for 86% of total sales – recorded drops in sales from February 2025 with the most significant declines in Food & Drink (-5.0%), Fashion (-4.2%) and General Retail (-3.2%).  Grocery and Health & Beauty were the most resilient (-2.0% and -0.7%).
 
Whilst Health & Beauty fared best in overall sales terms with a modest drop of -0.7% from February 2026, this sector recorded drops in customers and transactions that were equivalent to Fashion and Food & Drink (-6.8% and -6.5%).  The key differentiator was its stronger average transaction value (ATV) (+6.3%), outperforming Food & Drink (+3.9%) and Fashion (+2.4%).
 
The sector’s higher ATV likely reflects a combination of customers seeking premium products and early year price increases — particularly in services such as beauty treatments, gyms, and wellness offerings which are part of the Health & Beauty sector. As a result, average revenue per customer for Health & Beauty rose by +6.6%, significantly ahead of Food & Drink (+1.5%) and Fashion (+0.9%). This suggests that while it is a discretionary purchase, Health & Beauty remains a relatively non-negotiable spending category for many consumers.

The table above shows the average performance of a 62 towns and city centres, across a range of key Retail Spend metrics.