For the second month in a row sales on UK High Streets have fallen, according to figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC). Like-for-like sales fell by 1.5% in April compared to the same month in 2007. Total sales, which include shops that were not running last year rose by 1.0% last month.
The BRC's figures only take into account the value of sales from a selection of retailers. It is the first time that the BRC's figures had fallen for two consecutive months in a row since the first quarter of 2005.