World Cup boost sales

43% of retailers said sales were up during the World Cup, according to the CBI while 34% reported a fall. The positive balance of 9% was unchanged on May's figure. However, the growth was slightly lower than forecast, raising fears it could dip after the World Cup is over.

The CBI found that most retail sectors saw sales improve in June. However, the World Cup meant that sales of durable household goods grew faster than any other sector. June's sales growth helped the three-month sales balance to rise to plus 7% - the highest level since February 2005.

"It is certainly encouraging that retailers' sales have grown overall for a third month running and this bodes well for the next couple of months," said John Longworth, chairman of the CBI's distributive trades survey panel. However, he noted that not all retail sectors have benefited from the World Cup, and the recent pick-up "may prove to be short-lived once the England team returns home".