British retail sales declined for the second consecutive month, adding to the evidence that the country’s economy is losing momentum. The volume of goods sold in stores and online in May dropped by 0.5% on a monthly basis after declining 0.1% in April, shows the data from the National Statistics Office.

The sales excluding motor fuel declined by 0.3%.

The latest data is likely to fuel worries that consumers are beginning to tighten their belts after they have become a major driver of the economy in the past year after businesses have limited investment because of the uncertainty surrounding the Brexit process.

Consumer spending and stockpiling for Brexit boosted growth in the first months of 2019, but there seems to be a slowdown that further prompted the Central Bank of England to refrain from raising interest rates.

The retail sales will have to rise by 3.1% in June to match the first quarter’s 1.6% increase in the second quarter.

In May sales of groceries fell by 0.1%, non-food goods by 0.5%. A more significant decrease is in clothing sales – 4.5%, which is the most since July 2015, with the main reasons being the unusually cool weather.

Compared to May 2018, there was an increase of 2.3% in sales after the spring month of last year was marked by unusually hot weather and Britain’s Prince Harry’s wedding with Meghan Markle.

The sales value increased by 2.7%, which is the lowest growth since June 2016, but in the universal stores there was a drop of 2.4% – the most since the beginning of 2009 when the country was in the grip of the financial crisis.