HIGH street sales went into reverse last month as retailers suffered a loss of business in the wake of the London bombings.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said sales volumes were 0.3 per cent down on a month earlier, although this figure was not as bad as analysts had feared and indicated the sector may be over the worst of its downturn.
The fall reversed an increase of 1.2 per cent during June, which came as the warm weather and store sales encouraged shoppers to buy more summer clothes.
The ONS said it was not possible to measure the impact of the July 7 attacks on the figures, but pointed out that London accounted for 20 per cent of retail sales.
The data follows gloomy surveys from the likes of the British Retail Consortium (BRC), which said the high street suffered its worst July in a decade.
The CBI said that July sales remained at the lowest level in the survey's 22-year history.
Both said the impact of the London bombings on the high street could have been worse.
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