LONDON (Reuters) - Retail sales fell in June at the same pace as in May, though orders placed with suppliers picked up, a survey by the Confederation of British Industry showed on Wednesday 24 June. The CBI's distributive trades survey sales balance remained unchanged in June at May's level of -17, in line with analysts' average forecast.

Photo: REUTERS/Nigel Roddis

For July, retailers expected a balance of -21, slightly more pessimistic than the -20 they had expected for June. "June's weak sales figures show that business on the high street isn't getting any easier. The one consolation for retailers is that it isn't getting any worse," said Andy Clarke, chief operating officer of Asda and chairman of the survey panel.

"It is too early to foresee a sustained pick-up in retailers' fortunes over the coming months."

Furniture and carpet retailers reported sales grew for the first time since January 2008, though sales of durable household goods fell, giving mixed evidence of households' readiness to spend on big-ticket items.

The CBI said car sales were broadly flat with a year ago, with a balance of -1, the highest since May 2008, possibly reflecting a boost from the government's scrappage incentives for old cars. The volume of orders placed with suppliers was the highest since March 2008, while levels of excess stocks was at its lowest since June 2007.

(Reporting by Fiona Shaikh, writing by David Milliken)