STORE wars have broken out in Dorset town centres as struggling retailers battle for customers.

It may be only early June but most have brought forward their summer sales in a bid to turn around a slump in takings.

Huge signs advertising half-price sales, massive reductions and closing-down sales adorn many shop windows.

And Nigel Hedges, president of Bournemouth Chamber of Trade and Commerce, said it could only be good news for consumers.

“It’s quite simple really – if you offer the customer a bargain they will come to the shop,” he said. “Shoppers don’t really want to spend any money at the moment and you can’t sell them anything until you get them in through the door.”

He said some retailers were offering discounts on selected lines only but others were slashing prices across the board to get customers to part with their precious cash.

“If people are not buying at the prices you have, then make them lower,” he added. “This government has done its best to dampen down the economy and, unfortunately, has made a good job of it.”

The early sales were triggered by statistics which revealed a 2.2 per cent slump in high street sales last month, compared with May last year.

House of Fraser is currently advertising its “Best Ever Summer Sale” while Debenhams and Beales are offering half-price goods.

Others are closing down, including Stead & Simpson and Free Spirit in Bournemouth.

And chains such as Gap, Topman, Boots and supermarkets are also offering reductions.

Beales chief executive Tony Brown said discounts of up to 50 per cent were currently being offered at the department store, a week earlier than their usual summer sale.

“It became known in the industry that Debenhams and House of Fraser were going early so we decided to do the same – we would have been daft not to,” he said.

Mr Brown described recent trading as “challenging.”

Jo Williams from Poole, shopping in Bournemouth, said: “Some sales are a bit of a con. When you get into the shop there are only a few things reduced.”

And Sarah Denning from Westbourne added: “I always look for bargains – it is a long time since I paid full price for anything.”

Stephen Robertson of the British Retail Consortium said the slump in sales in May revealed “a realistic reflection of how tough conditions on the high street really are”.