LONDON, (Reuters) - British retail sales growth slowed in June to one of its weakest rates in three years, possibly in response to fears of higher interest rates, industry figures showed on Tuesday, adding to recent lacklustre economic data.
The British Retail Consortium said total retail spending in
June was just 0.6 percent higher than a year before, the lowest
growth rate since May 2011 if annual volatility caused by the
timing of Easter is excluded.
Consumer spending has been a major driver of Britain's
unexpectedly strong economic recovery over the past year, but in
May the Bank of England said it expected the rate of growth to
fall slightly in the second half of 2014.
Industrial output and the construction sector were weak in
May, and services activity growth slowed to a four-month low in
June.
(Reporting by David Milliken; Editing by Catherine Evans)
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