UK Retail Sales Fall More Than Expected During Rainy Spell

  • Clothing and food sales drop as consumers stayed home
  • Sharp reversal from strength during unusually warm June
Photographer: Jose Sarmento Matos/Bloomberg
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UK retail sales fell more than expected in July after a spell of cool and rainy weather kept people out of shops at a moment consumers are becoming more cautious with spending.

The volume of goods sold in stores and online fell 1.2% last month after an 0.6% gain in June, the Office for National Statistics said Friday. Economists had forecast a 0.6% month-on-month decline.