There was a slight improvement in the value of the UK Retail Confidence Indicator (RCI) for July, although there are doubts this success can last.
The value for the month was 42.4, which is an increase of six points from June in overall retail confidence.
Consumer confidence was the only factor to change within the last four weeks of coverage, this is thought to be brightened by improved personal situations of consumers.
Bill Moyes, director general of the British Retail Consortium, said: 'The underlying fundamentals of the economy remain sound and there is no reason for consumers not to be confident. However, consumer sentiment is fragile and can change rapidly so there is no room for assumptions that it will retain its strength over the coming month or that it alone will be able to compensate for levels of retail sales and investor confidence.' The remaining three factors – retail sales, retail profitability and investor confidence – remained mostly neutral, with slight variations from week to week.