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| Retail sales in June boosted by hot weather | Retail sales in June boosted by hot weather |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Retail sales rose in June as the hot weather boosted fuel and supermarket sales, according to official data. | |
| Sales volumes increased by 0.9% in the month, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. | Sales volumes increased by 0.9% in the month, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. |
| Supermarkets reported people buying more drinks, while fuel sales were up as consumers "ventured out and about in the sunshine", the ONS said. | Supermarkets reported people buying more drinks, while fuel sales were up as consumers "ventured out and about in the sunshine", the ONS said. |
| But it said sales had fallen by 2.8% in May, which was more than it had previously estimated. | But it said sales had fallen by 2.8% in May, which was more than it had previously estimated. |
| After May's fall in sales, a rebound in June had been expected, but the rise was lower than many economists had forecast. | |
| Ruth Gregory, deputy chief UK economist at Capital Economics, called June's sales increase "disappointingly small". | Ruth Gregory, deputy chief UK economist at Capital Economics, called June's sales increase "disappointingly small". |
| The monthly retail sales numbers have been up and down lately, reflecting weather patterns and a late Easter. | |
| But overall, the rise in retail spending has lost momentum, with sales up just 0.2% between April and June compared with the previous three months. | |
| That ties in with a separate survey from researchers Gfk which suggests that consumer confidence is weaker than a year ago, and supports economists' views that next month's figures on economic growth will show it was lacklustre in the second quarter of this year. | |
| Sales in food stores were up 0.7% in June, the ONS said, while fuel sales rose 2.8%. | |
| "The warm weather in June helped to brighten sales, with supermarket retailers reporting stronger trading and an increase in drink purchases," said ONS senior statistician Hannah Finselbach. | |
| "It was also a good month for fuel sales as consumers ventured out and about in the sunshine." | |
| The Met Office said that England had its warmest June on record, and the second warmest for the UK as a whole, following two heatwaves. |