Life-for-like sales on the high street fell by 1.3% in comparison to the previous year, with the fashion sector seeing the biggest decline of 3.6%. According to head of retail and wholesale at BDO, Sophie Michael ”prolonged blanket discounting is not sustainable but shoppers need incentives to make the purchase. So, it appears that most retailers have chosen to run targeted, short-term discounting in an attempt to ignite spending and prostect further erosion to margins."