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| UK retail sales fall sharply in December | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Retail sales in December dropped 1.9% from the previous month, according to official figures. | Retail sales in December dropped 1.9% from the previous month, according to official figures. |
| All main retail sectors declined month-on-month, with the heaviest falls coming at non-food stores, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. | |
| It was the biggest monthly fall for more than four and a half years. | |
| The Black Friday discount shopping day had made it "even harder for retailers to keep shoppers spending during December", analysts at Lloyds said. | |
| Retailers had a "disastrous December", said another analyst, Alan Clarke of Scotiabank. Analysts had predicted a 0.1% monthly fall. | |
| However, compared with a year ago, retail sales were up 4.3% in December. | However, compared with a year ago, retail sales were up 4.3% in December. |
| "There were some notably strong figures from smaller retailers, in particular butchers, who reported a significant boost in sales in the run up to Christmas," said Kate Davies, ONS senior statistician. | "There were some notably strong figures from smaller retailers, in particular butchers, who reported a significant boost in sales in the run up to Christmas," said Kate Davies, ONS senior statistician. |
| Shoppers also bought more online, spending about £1bn a week, which was 21.3% higher than in December 2015. |