London, Aug. 10, (dpa-AFX/GNA) – British retail sales continued to grow in July but the pace of growth slowed, the British Retail Consortium reported Tuesday.
Total retail sales grew 6.4 per cent on a yearly basis in July. At the same time, like-for-like sales were up 4.7 per cent.
The lifting of coronavirus restrictions did not bring the anticipated in-store boost, with the wet weather leaving consumers reluctant to visit shopping destinations, Helen Dickinson, chief executive at BRC, said.
Paul Martin, retail partner at KPMG, said retail sales grew at a slower rate as the reopening of the hospitality and leisure sectors led to a dilution in consumer spending.
Over the coming months the health of the sector is expected to grow at a much slower rate as retailers face increasing challenges on a number of fronts, said Martin.
GNA