Wet weather dampened clothing sales in July

July's bedewed upwind caused a slowdown successful UK retail sales, caller figures suggest, with request for covering falling arsenic radical felt little request to restock their summertime wardrobes.

Overall retail income grew 1.5% successful July, down from 2.3% the twelvemonth before, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) said.

The radical said rising involvement rates were besides squeezing shoppers' budgets.

"While user assurance is mostly improving, it remains beneath longer-term levels," said brag Helen Dickinson.

According to the commercialized body's research, spending successful July was dented by the damp weather, which did "no favours to income of clothing, and different seasonal goods".

It recovered that income of each types of covering and shoes declined successful what is usually a engaged period for manner retailers.

The bedewed upwind besides slowed down the post-pandemic instrumentality to brick-and-mortar stores, the BRC said, portion online income continued to slide, falling astir 7% year-on-year.

Sales of furniture, wellness and quality goods held up though.

The radical recovered that retailers were offering much promotions to get shoppers done the door.

"Both consumers and retailers are uncovering that they are having to get utilized to doing much with little arsenic conditions stay incredibly challenging," added Paul Martin, caput of retail astatine KPMG, which helped with the research.

It comes aft ostentation - the complaint astatine which prices emergence - fell to 7.9% successful June, which is its lowest level successful much than a twelvemonth but inactive precocious by humanities standards.

This is owed to vigor bills and nutrient prices starting to fall, authoritative figures suggest.

Last week, the Bank of England enactment up involvement rates for the 14th clip successful a enactment successful a bid to marque borrowing much expensive, dampen request and truthful dilatory terms rises.

This is driving up owe rates, thing Ms Dickinson said was squeezing household budgets.

Economist Michael Hewson from CMC Markets said the slowdown successful the gait of user spending was "not surprising", considering involvement complaint rises.

"This is what complaint hikes are designed to do," helium said.

But Mr Hewson said determination was a "looming cliff edge" arsenic determination is simply a lag earlier the effect of specified rises is afloat felt successful the economy.

He said consumers were present redeeming much to mitigate a crisp emergence successful owe costs arsenic their fixed complaint deals travel up for renewal.

New figures from Barclaycard, which monitors astir fractional of recognition and debit paper walk successful Britain, besides suggest determination has been an wide slowdown successful spending.

But determination were a fewer agleam spots, with much being spent connected takeaways and streaming services arsenic radical stayed indoors distant from the rain.