In June, wet weather negatively affected all the fashion sectors and also impacted on some areas of the pharmacy sector, figures released by CREST Retail Excellence in conjunction with property consultants CB Richard Ellis indicate.

The inclement weather also had implications for other retail sectors in the second quarter (Q2) of 2007. The toys and nursery sector witnessed a significant decrease in the sales of outdoor products.

However, this was offset to some degree by a weatherrelated lift in indoor games including board games and puzzles. The book sector was a particularly good performer during June due, in part, to increased new title launches.

Although retail trade proved robust in the second quarter of the year, larger than usual fluctuations in sales were recorded over the period, primarily due to declining weather conditions during June.

Overall, an increase in retail industry sales of 11.13% was recorded in Q2, compared to the same period last year.

However, there were notable differences in performance between sectors of the retail industry in the period. Jewellery sales recorded a 19.27% increase year-onyear, while footwear retail also experienced a significant uplift in the 12-month period.

However, prices continue to erode in the giftware . . .homeware sector and the fall of in the level of home completion numbers also contributed to the slowdown in this sector.