Unexpected drop in July comes as food sales decline after easing of Covid restrictions
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Retail sales in Great Britain suffered a sharp unexpected fall in July after a mini-boom during football’s European Championship a month earlier, according to official figures.
The Office for National Statistics said the volume of retail sales fell by 2.5% between June and July as spending declined across much of the high street and food sales fell after the end of the tournament. City economists had forecast a modest 0.4% rise on the month.