British retail sales rose less than expected in June because supermarkets suffered due to the wet weather, official data showed today.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said sales rose 0.2 per cent last month, leaving them 3.4 per cent up on the year.
That compared to analysts' forecasts for a rise of 0.3 per cent on the month and of 3.5 per cent on a year ago. Department store sales rose sharply, but the ONS said this was because they had started their usual summer discounting earlier than last year.
The retail sales deflator, a measure of price pressures on the high street, fell to 0.1 per cent from 0.5 per cent in May, its lowest since February. Food sales fell 1.1 per cent as the wettest June on record meant consumers shied away from buying summer food items.