Retail sales fall as rising cost of living biteson September 16, 2022 at 6:21 am

Retail sales fell in August as the rise in the cost of living put pressure on households, official figures show.

Sales fell by 1.6%, continuing a slide since summer last year after hospitality restrictions were lifted, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

Retail sales in all the main sectors – food, non-food, online and fuel – fell over the month, the ONS said.

Supermarkets’ sales volumes also fell by 0.9% in August.

However alcohol and tobacco sales rose by 6.3%.