The survey of 121 firms, of which 60 were retailers, showed that the volume of sales grew modestly, in line with expectations, and similar to the growth seen at the start of the year. But sales are expected to drop slightly next month, and orders placed on suppliers fell sharply over the year, at their fastest since March 2009. Within retail, department stores, specialist food & drink and grocers were weak performers. But this was offset by growth in other sectors, such as hardware & DIY, clothing and recreational goods. Internet sales volumes grew significantly on the previous month, outstripping ... (full story)