Overview
- Official ONS data show retail sales volumes slipped 0.1% in November, following a revised 0.9% fall in October.
- Sales were 0.6% higher than a year earlier but missed forecasts, and economists had expected a monthly increase of around 0.3% to 0.4%.
- Black Friday delivered a smaller lift than recent years as supermarket sales fell for a fourth month and non‑store retailing declined, partly offset by rises in clothing, footwear and household goods.
- Online sales rose 0.7% month on month and 8.3% year on year, lifting the online share of spending to 28.6%.
- Analysts cited pre‑Budget uncertainty and weak confidence, and retailers including Card Factory, Frasers and Currys flagged tough trading conditions.