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16 June 2011
Last updated at 05:02 ET
UK retail sales fell 1.4% in May, official figures have shown, reversing the rise seen in April when sales were boosted by the royal wedding.
In April, sales had risen 1.1% on the previous month, reflecting a "spike" due to one-off factors, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.
The ONS said May's sales figures were worse than analysts had expected.
It added that food and fuel now accounted for more than half of all spending.
As well as the royal wedding, the warm weather, the timing of Easter and a run of bank holidays had helped to lift sales in April.
However, after all these factors, the ONS said that May's figures showed consumers were now cutting back because of the tough economic climate, worries about rising fuel prices and job uncertainty.
Various sectors had fared differently, with smaller retailers doing slightly better than larger ones, Joe Grice from the ONS said.
Food expenditure was down 3.5% in May - "a pretty direct result of the royal wedding and the April special effects", said Mr Grice.
This was the biggest monthly decline in food store sales since June 2008.
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In April, sales had risen 1.1% on the previous month, reflecting a "spike" due to one-off factors, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.
The ONS said May's sales figures were worse than analysts had expected.
It added that food and fuel now accounted for more than half of all spending.
As well as the royal wedding, the warm weather, the timing of Easter and a run of bank holidays had helped to lift sales in April.
However, after all these factors, the ONS said that May's figures showed consumers were now cutting back because of the tough economic climate, worries about rising fuel prices and job uncertainty.
Various sectors had fared differently, with smaller retailers doing slightly better than larger ones, Joe Grice from the ONS said.
Food expenditure was down 3.5% in May - "a pretty direct result of the royal wedding and the April special effects", said Mr Grice.
This was the biggest monthly decline in food store sales since June 2008.
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