Retail sales slip 0.5% as heatwave hits fashion demand

UK retail sales fell 0.5 per cent in July as the prolonged heatwave and an earlier start to summer promotions impacted fashion and non-food spending.
The drop followed a revised 0.7 per cent increase in June, when warm weather, discounting and the World Cup helped drive shoppers to stores and online, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Sales volumes were still 1.6 per cent higher than July last year, although growth came in below economists’ expectations.
Non-food sales droppe