UK retail sales rose 1.5% in October compared with a year earlier, according to the BRC-KPMG Retail Sales Monitor. Shoppers held back on bigger purchases while they waited for Black Friday deals. For small shops, that pushes the Christmas peak later and makes stock timing harder.
01The October retail sales figures
According to the British Retail Consortium, total sales grew 1.5% on October 2025. A year earlier, growth was 1.6%.
- Food: Sales were up 3.2% on a year ago.
- Non-food: Sales were flat on a year ago.
- In-store non-food: Sales fell 1.1%.
- Online non-food: Sales rose 1.8%.
02Why is spending arriving later?
Helen Dickinson is chief executive of the British Retail Consortium. She said October was “subdued for retailers, as shoppers delayed spending ahead of Black Friday and Christmas”.
Big items such as furniture and white goods sold badly. Customers were waiting for November deals.
Linda Ellett of KPMG pointed to higher household costs and caution ahead of the Budget. She said some shoppers were “waiting for Black Friday deals”.
Black Friday falls on 27 November this year.
03What a later peak means for your stock and cash
Many small shops pay for Christmas stock weeks before it sells. If sales arrive later, the gap between paying suppliers and taking the money gets longer.
That gap is where cash runs short. It can also leave less room for a second order if a line sells well.
Three questions are worth asking now.
- When are my supplier bills due? Check the dates against the weeks you expect to sell the stock.
- What if sales slip into December? Work out how long your cash lasts if they do.
- What happens to unsold stock in January? Decide now whether you will discount it, return it or hold it.
04Funding stock you have not sold yet
An overdraft and stock finance work in different ways. Our guide on how stock finance works explains when each one fits.
For a bigger seasonal order, some owners use a term loan for the stock and an overdraft for the gap. Our seasonal stock guide sets out how that works.
If you are planning ahead for next year's peak, bizbritain can look at business growth finance across a panel of 100+ lenders.
