Families are still splashing out on the weekly food shop but increasingly headed online for other goods in February, leaving slim pickings for the rest of the High Street.
The CBI's latest distributive trades survey showed a 2% balance of retailers reporting declining sales volumes in the first two weeks of the month, but fortunes were mixed.
Grocers and non-store retailers were by far the strongest performers, but clothing shops had their worst month since March 2009, while household goods, hardware and DIY sales remain stuck in
the doldrums Judith McKenna, chair of the CBI Distributive Trades Panel and ASDA's chief operating officer, said: "Consumers are clearly continuing to focus their spending on day-to-day needs, rather than big-ticket or luxury items.
With disposable incomes under constant pressure, retailers remain concerned about the general business outlook for the rest of 2012."
January's official figures showed a 1% rise in High Street sales, although retailers again had to slash prices to keep shoppers spending.
