McColl’s has blamed ‘poorer weather’ for a 2.2% annual like-for-like sales drop in its recent quarterly financial results.

For the third quarter ending 25 August, total revenue also fell by 3.6% in the period. To help return to growth, McColl’s said it had a ‘programme of range reviews alongside continued investment in its convenience estate’.

McColl’s chief executive Jonathan Miller said: “This has been a highly unseasonable summer for the retail sector and our sales performance reflects both this and the ongoing economic uncertainty.

“We continue to make operational progress and we anticipate results in line with expectations for the full year.”