Fri, 20 Jun 2025

Fri, 20 Jun 2025 'Dismal' month for supermarkets pushes down retail sales

Sales volumes in May saw their biggest monthly fall since December 2023.

* Retail sales fell by 2.7% in May, the biggest monthly fall since December 2023
* Food retailers saw lower sales of alcohol and tobacco as households cut back
* Clothing and household goods stores reported "slow trading"
* Government borrowing hit £17.7bn in May, the second highest level for the month since records began in 1993
* Borrowing was up £0.7bn from May last year due to increased spending and tax revenue
* Revenue from income tax and National Insurance contributions rose, but spending saw a bigger increase due to inflation-linked uplifts to benefits
* Sales volumes in the three months to May were still up by 0.8% compared to the previous three months
* Experts say the data suggests that the UK's economic growth is slowing down
* Inflation remained at 3.4% in the year to May, with food prices growing for a third month in a row
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