Retail sales show steep decline in July

Dropped by 2.5%

There was a steep fall in British retail sales last month, setting back their post-lockdown recovery, according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Retail sales volumes dropped by 2.5% in July from June, the ONS said. Emma Mogford, fund manager of the Premier Miton Monthly Income Fund, said the scale of the decline compared to the previous month is "surprising". "It adds further evidence of consumer caution in the face of the delta variant, despite restrictions being removed. High street retailers face a challenging outlook if consumer spending remains muted while government support is phased out."  Quilter Investors' Bradshaw: The UK market is down but not out Non-food stores reported a fall of 4.4% in sales volumes in the...