However, top-end designer clothes continued to deliver gains for some. Childrenswear generally outperformed womenswear and menswear.
Footwear: Despite further widespread and heavy discounting, sales dropped back markedly from May's sun-driven uplift to show flat sales overall. Men's and children's were down on a year ago while women's sales were only just positive.
Sandals sold well in clearance events, with some strong interest in dressy styles. The squeeze on discretionary spending continued to favour value ranges, though premium designer ranges still gave gains for some.
Department Stores: It was another difficult month for most: some good clearances but underlying sales still tough, especially for larger homewares and housing-related items.
Smaller purchases such as accessories and beauty products held up and clothing and footwear showed some growth, though often discount-driven.
DIY/Gardening: Increased weakness in both the housing market and consumer confidence continued to depress larger purchases in DIY. New ranges attracted interest but trade building was generally flat. Gardening and outdoor DIY showed some growth compared with last June's very poor rain-hit sales.
Furniture and Floorcoverings: Sales remained well below their year-earlier levels, hit hard by the housing market slowdown and the squeeze on incomes. June's decline was similar to April's, which was the worst for almost three years and forward orders showed signs of slowing. Fitted kitchens and bathrooms were flat, while upholstery and bedroom furniture continued to struggle.
Health and Beauty: Toiletries and cosmetics slowed markedly to show virtually no growth, after two fairly strong months. Suncare, skincare and hayfever fell back after May's boost.
With shoppers increasingly value-conscious, core toiletries and healthcare benefited from widespread promotions, especially in supermarkets and multiples. Nevertheless premium cosmetics and perfumery held up for some.
-Ltd..jpg?tr=w-120,h-60,c-at_max,cm-pad_resize,bg-ffffff "Thermore (Far East) Ltd.")
.jpg?tr=w-120,h-60,c-at_max,cm-pad_resize,bg-ffffff "Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation Limited (TSllC Ltd)")
.jpg?tr=w-120,h-60,c-at_max,cm-pad_resize,bg-ffffff "Taiwan Textile Federation (TTF)")
