Supermarkets saw a sharp drop in food sales during May, after experiencing a strong rise in April, according to official figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Overall retail sales fell by 2.7% in May, their steepest fall since December 2023, following figures previously increasing by 1.3% during April.

While all retail sectors saw decreased sales, food sales saw the biggest change with a 5% drop. This came after a 4.7% increase during April.

Subscribe to Grocery Gazette for free

Sign up here to get the latest grocery and food news each morning

Retailers reported reduced sales volumes caused by consumer cutbacks due to inflation, with reduced sales of alcohol and tobacco products, said the ONS in its report. Elsewhere, non-food retailers also reported reduced footfall.

ONS senior statistician Hannah Finselbach told the BBC that the figures came  were “mainly due to a dismal month for good retailers, especially supermarkets, following strong sales in April”.

PwC UK head of retail Jacqueline Windsor told the BBC that the numbers show how nervous consumers are. “It does underline the fragility of consumers’ spending power and the retail sector in the current economic climate,” she said.