Overview
- BRC/KPMG reported retail sales up 1.6% year on year in October, the weakest growth since May as households delayed non‑essential purchases.
- Barclays said card spending fell 0.8% from a year earlier, with one in three consumers postponing major buys until after the Budget and all seven confidence measures declining.
- Worldpanel by Numerator put grocery inflation at 4.7% in the four weeks to 2 November, with spending on promoted items up 9.4% to just under 30% of grocery outlay.
- Supermarket performance diverged as Ocado sales jumped 15.9% and Tesco and Lidl gained share, while Asda’s sales fell 3.9% and its market share stood at 11.6%.
- Retailers say they are counting on Black Friday to lift demand as consumer reports of shrinkflation and skimpflation grow, especially for festive treats.