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UK Retail Sales Fall 0.5% in July as Clothing Slumps

Clothing and online sales drove the decline as early promotions and hot weather pulled demand into June, the Office for National Statistics said.

  • Official figures released today showed British retail sales volumes dropped 0.5% in July, in line with economists' median forecast, after a surge in June when hot weather boosted demand for fans and air conditioners.
  • Clothing sales slumped 2.7% during the month, the sharpest drop since May last year, after many retailers began summer sales in June rather than July, pulling demand forward into the prior month.
  • Food sales grew 0.5% over the month, bucking the downward trend as supermarkets benefited from World Cup promotions and warm weather, while annual sales growth slowed to 1.6% from a downwardly revised 3.8%.
  • Inflation rose to 2.9% in July, the first increase in four months, while the Bank of England expects price rises to accelerate further in the coming months as the impact of the Iran war feeds through.
  • GfK's long-running confidence indicator reached a two-year high in Aug, its highest since just after Prime Minister Andy Burnham's predecessor Keir Starmer came to power, signaling robust consumer sentiment despite economic headwinds.
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caithness-business.co.uk broke the news on Friday, August 21, 2026.
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