September retail sales dip 0.4% as Sainsbury's raises the lower end of its profit guidance

Retail sales volumes edged down 0.4% in September as warm weather and cautious spending weighed on demand¹. Clothing and footwear volumes fell 0.9% as autumn and winter ranges stalled in one of the warmest Septembers on record². Food store sales fell slightly in September but remained up over the last quarter³. Separately, UK consumer confidence has suffered its sharpest monthly decline since the Covid-19 pandemic⁴.

Sainsbury's chief executive Simon Roberts has urged Chancellor John Healey to avoid increasing employment costs in next week's Budget¹. Debenhams reported a 600% jump in EBITDA, with lower exceptional costs and a wider gross margin driving the half-year swing². The Very Group reported record adjusted earnings for the year ended 27 June 2026, despite a decline in fashion sales³.

Bestway's 23 new territory sales managers will be supported by two field sales managers covering the north and south¹. Asda has launched a new scheme to support career starters². The Perfume Shop's Hempstead Valley store manager has won the Store Icon of the Year Award³.

At senior level, Puma has appointed former Nike executive Arne Arens as Chief Commercial Officer, its ninth senior leadership hire this year¹. Calvin Klein has appointed a former Lacoste executive as Chief Product Officer, who will run global design and merchandising from January².

On retail crime, ONS figures show shop theft offences fell to 519,516 in the year ending June 2026, from 530,336 the previous year, though the Fed warns falling figures mask retail crime¹. Essex Police has secured 4,000 shoplifting charges in the past year, 500 more than the previous 12 months².

New Look has opened its refurbished 9,044 sq ft store at Cribbs Causeway in Bristol¹. Costa Coffee has opened at The Liberty Romford shopping centre, taking a 4,069 sq ft space². Sézane has opened its third permanent London store at 145 King's Road in Chelsea³. DeMellier opens its first store today, a flagship at 35–37 Sloane Square⁴.

ARNE has opened a 2,800 sq ft six-month pop-up at Bluewater, its first regional store in the South East of England¹. B&M has confirmed a November opening date for its new Thistles store². VST and Co-op Wholesale have marked their new partnership with a first South Coast store launch³.