Retail sales in Southport and other shopping centres fell sharply in August as the rise in the cost of living put pressure on households, figures show.
Across the nation face to face shop sales fell by 1.6%, much larger than economists predicted, continuing a slide since the summer of 2021, the Office for National Statistics said.
Retail sales in all the main sectors – food, non-food, online and fuel – fell over the month.
The drop has been blamed on people tightening their already barren purse strings.
Supermarkets’ sales volumes also fell by 0.9% in August, but alcohol and tobacco sales rose by 6.3%.
August’s sales figures signalled the largest month-on-month drop since December 2021.
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