Dixons report sales slump

The group reported a 10 per cent fall in same-store sales during the 12 weeks to July 23 in the UK and Ireland, where it has 640 stores, and a seven per cent drop across the whole group.

Dixons Retail, which saw a six per cent drop in profits in the year to April, said the quarter compared to particularly strong trading in the same period last year as a result of the World Cup and the launch of Apple’s iPad.

But the figures will do nothing to alleviate concerns over the state of high street trading as retailers, ranging from interior designer Habitat to fashion chain Jane Norman, have fallen into administration.