The UK could be set for a sustained period of weak consumer spending, according to an industry expert.
Jonathon Loynes, the chief European economist for Capital Economics has said that the current "slowing down" of the economic climate is "likely to continue for many years".
He explained that he is predicting that consumer spending is set to fall before only beginning to grow back at a "fairly subdued rate" from 2010 or "a year or two afterwards".
"For now at least consumer growth is still slowing and is likely to do so considerably further," added Mr Loynes.
"Our own view is that consumer spending will actually fall in real terms next year."
The latest figures from the Retail Traffic Index found that the number of shoppers dropped by two per cent in July year-on-year, but did show an 8.1 per cent rise from the previous month's data.
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