According to the figures revealed by British Retail Consortium (BRC), retail sales in London were 8.7 per cent higher than a year earlier on a like-for-like basis. This was slightly weaker than the 11 per cent rise in June last year, but stronger than the 0.4 per cent decline in the sales figures of the United Kingdom as a whole.
Retail footfall in London was also higher than the same period last year, but slightly weaker than in May this year.
Commodities including homewares and furniture had tough sales because of household budgets and the weakness of the housing market.
BRC business information team senior analyst Joscelyne Hynard attributed the sales rise in central London to the quantity of clearance sales and the few sunny days that brought shoppers out looking for bargains.
BRC director-general Stephen Robertson also highlighted the rising costs of driving to shopping centres and the higher-than-average incomes of London residents as factors contributing to the rise.
