Economic activity and social change in the UK, real-time indicators January 2026

12th January 2026

Total UK retail footfall increased by 2% in the week to 4 January 2026, compared with the previous week, but decreased by 1% when compared with the equivalent week of 2025 (BT Active Intelligence).

Almost two-thirds (65%) of trading businesses reported that they had cash reserves in late December 2025. This is up 3 percentage points from late September 2025, which had the lowest proportion of cash reserves reported since June 2020 (final results from Wave 147 of the Business Insights and Conditions Survey).

The number of firms reporting decreased turnover was 7% higher than those reporting increased turnover in November 2025; this is a 10 percentage point decrease from October 2025 (HM Revenue and Customs Value Added Tax returns).

The System Average Price (SAP) of gas increased by 5% in the week to 4 January 2026, while the System Price of electricity increased by 12% in the same period; both decreased by 38% and 2%, respectively, compared with the equivalent week of 2025 (National Gas Transmission, Elexon).

The seasonally adjusted number of daily UK flights decreased by 2% in the week to 4 January 2026, compared with the previous week, but increased by 3% when compared with the equivalent week of 2025 (EUROCONTROL).

The number of Energy Performance Building Certificates (EPCs) lodged in England and Wales for new dwellings decreased from 929 to 556 (40%) in the week to 4 January 2026, compared with the previous week, but increased from 319 to 556 (74%) when compared with the equivalent week of 2025; this is in line with historical seasonal patterns (Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government).

Read the full ONS report HERE