The growth rate fell 14 percent in July compared with 2019, reversing gains made in April, as retailers tried to lure shoppers amid a scorching third week of the month and surging inflation. Shopping centers were hardest hit, down 18.6% compared to July 2019, while high street visits were down 17% and retail parks were down 3.5%. Figures from Springboard showed that the participation rate across the UK for July had risen by 15.6% compared to last year, 2021. But the pace of recovery shows a growing north-south divide. Between January and July, football growth increased month-on-month by an average of 1.8% in London compared to just 0.4% in the north and Yorkshire. Figures show rising inflation and the cost of living crisis are being felt most strongly outside the capital, with July rising by 27.4% in 2021 in London compared to 8.9% in the north and Yorkshire, 7, 3% in Northern Ireland and 9.2% in Scotland. Springboard’s Diane Wehrle said: “The north-south gap in leg recovery is not a recent trend and extends through July 2021. However, the extent of the gap has widened significantly in recent months.” Subscribe to the Business Today daily email or follow Guardian Business on Twitter @BusinessDesk Despite rising retail prices, with some retailers charging up to 50% more in the UK than in their EU stores, they rose 1% in the seven months to the end of July, compared with a fall of 0.5 % compared to the pre-Covid decade, shows that there is still demand for shopping in stores. Wehrle said: “We would normally expect the rise to peak in August and then fall in September as the school summer holidays end. “However, in light of the increasing pressure on household budgets as a result of inflation, this year we expect the autumn growth rate to rise or fall marginally by around 1% from July in August, followed by a decline of around 3% in relative to the month between August and September.”
