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UK retail sales weaken in July despite heatwave boosting food demand
Non-food retail volumes fell 1.3% as clothes shopping dropped, while ONS data showed food and drink remained a bright spot even with World Cup demand.
Retail sales across Great Britain slipped in July even as record temperatures increased demand for food and drink, according to ONS data cited by the Guardian Economics.
The volume of goods sold in stores and online fell 0.5% in July, down from a 0.7% rise in June, which had been revised from an initial 1.0% estimate, and compared with a 1.3% rise in May.
Non-food stores posted the biggest decline, with volumes down 1.3%, driven by weaker clothes shopping, as retailers moved cut-price sales into June and hotter July weather kept more people away from high streets.
Food and drink sales increased, supported by hot weather and World Cup excitement, though some of the spending was diverted to pubs and sports bars, which count as hospitality rather than retail in official statistics. The British Beer and Pub Association said the World Cup generated an extra 30 million pints and about 150 million pounds in added sales for its members, while analysts said attention is now turning to the autumn consumer outlook.