Helen Dickinson OBE, Chief Executive, BRC:

"These figures lay bare the difficult operating environment for the retail industry. After a challenging August, constrained consumer spending in September has resulted in the weakest sales growth for five months.

"The retail industry pays a disproportionate amount of tax. It represents 5 per cent of the economy but pays 10 per cent of business tax and almost 25 per cent of business rates. A tax system skewed towards high taxes on people and property is contributing to store closures and job losses and is stalling the successful reinvention of our high streets.

"Taxes apply to all businesses, so the answer is not additional taxes solely on the retail industry. The Government urgently needs to reduce the business rates burden and create a tax system fit for the 21st century that more fairly distributes taxes right across the economy."