03/08/2004

Euro 2004 hangover hits retail sales, says CBI

The end of 'Euro 2004' football promotions and the impact of interest rate rises have been blamed by retailers for the unexpected slowdown in sales during July, according to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI).

In its latest monthly Distributive Trades Survey, published today, the CBI said that following two months of strong growth, particularly in goods such as football clothing, TVs and beer, sales have slowed and are expected to continue to do so during August. However the confederation stressed that it was "too early" to anticipate a sustained downturn.

Forty-eight per cent of firms surveyed said that sales were up on a year ago while 24% said they were down. The balance of plus 24% compares with 43% in the June survey.

The underlying trend in sales growth - as measured by the three-monthly average - remained high in July at plus 39%, this compares with plus 41% in June which represented the fastest rate of growth since October 2001, the CBI said.

Chemists, specialist food stores and those selling furniture and carpets reported the strongest year on year growth. All other sectors reported some increase in growth with the exception of grocers and confectioners who reported a decrease.

Fifty-four per cent of firms said that sales for the time of year were average, with 23% saying they were good and 22% saying they were poor. This balance of plus one per cent is well down on the plus 23% seen in June.

John Longworth, Chairman of the CBI's DTS Panel, said that, "unfortunately", the end of the football competition had coincided with the increasing impact of interest rate rises on consumer spending and poor summer weather for most of July.

"The Bank of England's objective of gently slowing this sector of the economy appears to be working, but it must continue to be cautious. Business wants to see a gradual, well-signalled approach to monetary policy when the MPC meet this week," he said.

The Distributive Trades survey covers 20,000 outlets of firms responsible for 40% of employment in retailing.

(gmcg)

Related UK National News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

30 July 2003
Retailers boosted by later summer sales, says CBI
The warm weather and a later start to the summer sales gave retailers an "unexpected boost" in July, according to the CBI's latest monthly Distributive Trades Survey published today (Wednesday). Retailers had expected July to show the same modest sales growth as June but in fact sales grew at the fastest rate since April 2002, the CBI said.
24 July 2012
Oxfam Sales Rise To £90m Despite Recession
Oxfam has reported a sharp increase in sales from its high street shops, with a growth of 5% taking its retail sales last year to £90m. While much of the high street stuggles, Oxfams growth highlights changing habits amid the bleak economic conditions.
04 June 2003
CBI survey reveals slowdown in retail sales
Trading conditions on UK high streets have improved but retail sales growth was modest compared with last year, according to the CBI's latest Quarterly Distributive Trades survey.
07 May 2015
Michelin Acquires Tyre Sales Company For £50m
Michelin Tyres has purchased tyre sales company Blackcircles.com for £50 million. The Edinburgh firm generated a revenue of £28 million in 2013 and has experienced an annual growth of around 20% per annum since 2008. Michael Welch, founder of Blackcircles.
29 March 2006
Sainsbury's sales recovery continues
Supermarket chain Sainsbury's has reported another rise in sales for the January to March period - the chain's fifth consecutive quarter of like-for-like sales growth. The chain, the third largest supermarket in the UK, reported a 5.3% rise in like-for-like sales - excluding petrol - during the period.