British customers limited their spending in July.

Between June and July, retail sales volumes decreased by 1.2% as the wet weather hurt garment sales and the high cost of living discouraged consumers from buying food.

It was a particularly difficult month for supermarkets, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The article stated that "the summer washout along with the rising cost of living meant sluggish sales for both clothing and food."

Department retailers also noted a decline in consumer demand for home items.

The ONS noted that overall retail sales were 16.4% higher by value but 1.8% lower in the number of products purchased in February 2020, the last full month before Covid struck, as evidence of how much prices had climbed.

New data released earlier this week revealed that inflation, which gauges the pace at which prices are growing, has once more decreased to 6.8%. In spite of this, food costs continue to rise quickly.

After increasing in June, according to the ONS, supermarket sales volumes decreased by 2.6% in July.

Customers adjusted their purchases at certain stores as a result of the bad weather.

According to Gary Grant, founder and chairman of the toy shop The Entertainer, parents have spent more money on products to keep their kids amused in the rain.

While the company's outdoor toy sales were "substantially down" from a year prior, he said that "our indoor sales," including those of stationery supplies, art supplies, puzzles, and games that parents would need to keep their kids engaged indoors, had climbed.

Due to consumers staying at home due to the rain, online merchants saw an increase in sales of 2.8% in July.

The overall percentage of retail transactions conducted online increased last month from 26% to 27.4%, the highest level since last February.

In the meantime, the ONS reduced the retail sales growth for June from a gain of 0.7% to a rise of 0.6%.

(Sources: bbc.co.uk, ons.gov.uk)