As shoppers cut back on non-essential spending and budgeted for the higher price of food following the Brexit vote, British retail sales saw a slowing in growth in July. Retail sales increased by an annual 0.9% on a like-for-like basis, down from 1.2% in June according to data from the BRC. The figures were seen to suggest that the economy is losing steam with chief executive of the BRC, Helen Dickinson adding, "We can expect food to continue making the running for sales growth for the time being, although driven more by price than volume, with non-food continuing to struggle.”