A rise in retail sales in June and July amounted to a false dawn in terms of an economic recovery of the high street.

The British Retail Consortium said like-for-like sales dipped by 0.1% last month when compared to the same month in 2008. Total retail sales were up 2.2%, but grew 3.6% in July.
Food sales were stronger than non-food sales.
The BRC also warned retailers that any comparative growth this autumn over last should take into account the fact that last year’s equivalent period saw negative growth.