Furniture retail sales fell during February on last month while remaining flat against an annual comparison.

According to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics, furniture and lighting retail sales fell 1.6% to £1.21bn from £1.23bn in January. Compared to the previous year, sales were consistent at £1.21bn.

Floorcovering retail sales increased month-on-month, up by 7.9% to £229m from £212.1m. Compared to the same time last year, sales fell by 3.5% from £237.5m.

Retail sales volumes (quantity bought) are estimated to have fallen by 0.4% in February 2026, following a rise of 2.0% in January 2026. As for the value (amount spent), this was up 2.1% month-on-month to £38.7bn.

Non-store retailers’ volumes fell in February, with retailers suggesting that consumers brought forward their spending to January 2026, to maximise on discounting during the period.

Within the monthly series, online sales values rose by 0.6% over the month to February 2026, and by 11.4% comparing February 2026 with February 2025. The total spend (the sum of in-store and online sales) fell by 0.3% over the month. As a result, the proportion of sales made online rose from 28.0% in January 2026 to 28.2% in February 2026.

Commenting on the retail sales figures up to February, ONS senior statistician Hannah Finselbach said: “Retail sales rose in the three months to February, with online shops seeing strong sales and art dealers also faring well. These were partially offset by a weak period for clothing stores.”