Sterling, already trading lower on the day, dropped as much as 0.5% against the dollar to $1.3768. It fell to its lowest against the euro since July 21, down 0.2% at 86.14 pence
Retail sales volumes dropped by 2.5% in July from June, official data showed. A Reuters poll of economists had pointed to a 0.4% month-on-month increase in July sales
Sterling fell 0.43% to $1.4108 following the stronger than expected US private payrolls data, having touched a three-year high of $1.4250 earlier this week, not far off its post-Brexit peak of $1.4307 in April 2018.
The pound edged up 0.2% against the euro to 85.97 pence .