U.K. Retail’s Slow Recovery Leaves High Street Shops Struggling

Tentative signs of recovery in the U.K. retail sector are giving little cause for optimism to the beleaguered high street.

Total retail sales rose in June, the first year-on-year increase since lockdown began, according to the British Retail Consortium. That was largely driven by online shopping. Data compiled by Barclaycard, which processes nearly half of U.K. credit and debit card transactions, showed the decline in consumer spending easing.