UK Christmas Retail Sales Disappoint as Shoppers Pull Back
- Sales growth weakened in December versus previous year
- Furniture, clothing, jewelery and tech particularly struggled
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The crucial Christmas shopping period was weaker than expected in the UK as consumers burdened by higher inflation carefully watched their spending.
Total sales grew 1.7% in December, compared with almost 7% growth a year earlier, the British Retail Consortium and consultancy KPMG said in a report Tuesday. Sales of non-food items declined over the three months through December, with shoppers particularly avoiding big-ticket purchases such as furniture and homeware. Clothing, jewelery and technology were other gift categories that struggled.