June sales could not compete with last year’s scorching weather and World Cup, leading to the worst June on record, according to the British Retail Consortium.
“Overall, the picture is bleak,” said BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson. “Rising real wages have failed to translate into higher spending as ongoing Brexit uncertainty led consumers to put off non-essential purchases.”
Paul Martin, UK Retail Partner, KPMG, said: “There are few places retailers can hide from the difficult trading conditions that have been hitting the industry for some time. June’s retail performance did little to ease that, with like-for-like sales falling 1.6% compared to last year…
“Pressure on retailers continues to mount and is seemingly coming from all angles: economic, geo-political, environmental and behavioural. Consumer spend is only likely to fall further as things stand, and cost efficiency remains vital. The focus for most in the industry will be preservation and adaptation in order to see them through these tough times.”
Total sales across the retail sector were down 1.3% on the same period last year.
