The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has reported a surprise fall of 0.9% in retail sales for August as consumers cut spending at the height of the summer holidays.

On a survey of 5,000 UK retailers, the ONS found that sales fell 0.9% from the month before; a shock fall compared to a predicted rise of approximately 0.4%. However, they still represented a rise of 2.1% on August last year.

David Tinsley, UK economist at BNP Paribas, told Reuters that the retail sales figures were some of the weakest “for some time".
"It is probably a sign that upbeat expectations were getting a little out of whack with what the economy is capable of delivering," he said.
"If there is an ex-post rationale for the decline in sales, it seems to be largely down to the weather. Food sales were exceptionally strong in July... as the temperature improved markedly. While August was also pleasant, that level of sales was probably difficult to sustain."