Figures released by BDO have shown that high street sales in July have fallen 1.1% which is the poorest it has been in six years.
Like-for-like sales across the board have decreased with figures showing fashion fell 1.4%, homewares fell 1.1% and lifestyle goods fell 0.5%, as they appear to be losing out to restaurants and bars.
Head of retail and wholesale at BDO, Sophie Michael said the like-for-like figures should be taken in the context of a strong July 2014, but added retailers are still being hindered by unpredictable market forces.
She added: “The political landscape is still settling down after the election and speculation over interest rate rises is creating uncertainty in the minds of retailers and consumers.
“Retailers have reduced or delayed discounting compared to last year to pick the right moment. But many have held off well into the holiday season, and the reduced footfall has eaten into sales.
“If this trend of falling sales continues into August, 2015 will go down as a very gloomy summer on the high street.”
