UK Retail Sales Fall 0.5% in July as Post-World Cup Spending Pullback Hits Clothing Hardest

Great Britain's retail sales volumes fell 0.5% in July 2026, the ONS reported on 21 August. Non-food store sales dropped 1.3%, with clothing stores posting the largest declines. Reuters attributed the softening to consumers pulling discretionary spending forward during June's World Cup. Despite the monthly contraction, sales volumes rose across the three months to July, driven by gains of 1.3% in May and a revised 0.7% in June.