Supermarket sales fell in June as consumers reined in spending amid poor weather and economic conditions.

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), food store sales fell by 1.1% last month and 1.3% in the second quarter of 2024 when compared with the first quarter, which it said was mainly due to supermarkets.

General retail sales volumes also fell by 1.2% during June, following a 2.9% rise in May, and volumes fell by 0.2% over the year to June – 1.3% below the pre-coronavirus pandemic level in February 2020.

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British Retail Consortium director of insight Kris Hamer said: “It has been a gloomy start to summer spending. Sales volumes declined in June, falling for the fourth time in six months due to the colder than usual June and high costs for households.

“With the summer social season nearly in full swing, and a new government offering a fresh approach to the economy, retailers are hopeful that consumer confidence will improve, and spending will pick back up.

“The King’s speech laid the foundations for a more modern and dynamic British economy, and retailers look forward to working closely with government to maximise the industry’s contribution. This includes greater investment in skills and training, and using reforms to planning laws to create thriving town and city centres.”

Among the changes laid out in the King’s Speech on Wednesday, it was announced that attacking or abusing a shopworker will be made a standalone offence.

Supermarkets Co-op, Tesco and Nisa welcomed the new government’s commitment to tackling retail crime as Co-op described it a “crowning moment” for shop workers, marking a positive shift in the crackdown on repeat and prolific offenders amid unprecedented levels of retail crime.