July retail sales boosted by football and summer discounts
Retail sales saw an uptick in July after being boosted by this year’s major sporting events and summer discounting.
According to new data from the Office for National Statistics, retail sales volumes rose by 0.5% following a fall of 0.9% in June.
Non-food store sales rose by 1.4% in July after a 1.9% decline in June as department stores and sports equipment retailers benefited from events such as the European football Championship and Wimbledon.
Meanwhile, the amount spent online increased by by 2.5% during July.
Sales volumes were also up in the three months to July, rising by 1.1% when compared with the three months to April.
Kris Hamer, director of insight at the British Retail Consortium, said: “Following the gloomy start to summer spending, retailers welcomed the warmer July weather which gave sales growth a boost, particularly in areas such as cosmetics, clothing, footwear, and books as consumers prepared for their summer holidays.
“The high cost of living is still bearing down on consumers, but with interest rates finally easing, retailers are hopeful that this will buoy consumers confidence, and with it greater spending, particularly as we head into August.”
