The sales figures for the retail industry reveal that the sector failed to protect itself from the economic downturn in July.  The sector witnessed a drop of 0.9 percent in like-for-like sales, which are much lower than previous years when comparing the months from April to July. According to the British Retail Consortium, this performance is the worst since summer of 2005.

The trend is the cause of serious concern until the Christmas period. Many in the retail sector are apprehending that consumer spending would not improve, at least until next year. According to Stephen Robertson, director general BRC, consumers would not be indulging in frivolous shopping since they focus more on value and durability of the product. He warned that the worst in the slowdown has yet to come.

The slump is wide spread, affecting all kinds of retail sales. The clothing and footwear sector sales fell far  below last years level. Meanwhile homeware and furniture retailers also failed to come out of their prolonged slump, despite offering heavy discounts and attempting aggressive promotion of their products.
According to KMPG’s Helen Dickinson, who has spoken to many retailers, no one is optimistic about improvements in the market conditions during the current year.

Food and drink retailers were the exception and registered a higher growth in July 2008 compared to July 2007.

Things to consider:
Johnson Brothers available here
looking for Cheap shoes UK ?