People stayed away from the high street, and instead headed to the coast and the countryside during the UK's 'Indian summer' of late September, new retail sales figures show.
Like-for-like sales dipped by four per cent during the month compared with the same time a year ago, the figures from accountants BDO say.
And the news was even more grim for fashion retailers, who were caught out as people showed little interest in their new winter lines: "Rather than stock up on cardigans and coats, consumers largely avoided the high street in favour of a final few days of sun," BDO said.
This translated into a sales slump of more than five per cent for September, it added.
The silver lining among the clouds is expected to be that people will return to their usual shopping habits in coming weeks as the weather worsens, and shops unveil their pre-Christmas promotions.
"We expect an element of bounce-back now the temperature has dropped," said Don Williams, BDO's UK head of retail and wholesale.
