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Official figures confirm retail gloom
24 Jan '09
2 min read
As the UK officially enters recession, retail sales figures , confirm how tough December was for many retailers, said the British Retail Consortium (BRC).
Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures show the total value of sales fell 0.8 per cent compared with December 2007. That compares with a fall of 1.4 per cent recorded by the BRC's Retail Sales Monitor published last week.
After several months of unexpectedly strong official retail sales figures, a sharp drop from November's positive year-on-year growth means the ONS figures are now painting a similarly gloomy picture to the BRC's own results.
The ONS report also confirms non-food retailers suffering most with sales largely driven by price cutting, food retailing proving more resilient and online sales boosted by Christmas.
Stephen Robertson, Director General of the British Retail Consortium, said: “The official figures are now painting a more realistic picture of how tough conditions are for customers and retailers.”
“A poor Christmas for retailing overall hides the contrast between sectors. A triple whammy of dramatically declining sales, margin-crushing discounts and rising costs hit non-food retailers hardest overwhelming some businesses and destroying retail jobs. Food sales were more resilient – we all have to eat.”
“Our own results show most people believe we have been in recession for months and have been behaving as if we were for some time. With customers already budgeting defensively as job fears mount, confirmation of recession can't weaken confidence much more.”
Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures show the total value of sales fell 0.8 per cent compared with December 2007. That compares with a fall of 1.4 per cent recorded by the BRC's Retail Sales Monitor published last week.
After several months of unexpectedly strong official retail sales figures, a sharp drop from November's positive year-on-year growth means the ONS figures are now painting a similarly gloomy picture to the BRC's own results.
The ONS report also confirms non-food retailers suffering most with sales largely driven by price cutting, food retailing proving more resilient and online sales boosted by Christmas.
Stephen Robertson, Director General of the British Retail Consortium, said: “The official figures are now painting a more realistic picture of how tough conditions are for customers and retailers.”
“A poor Christmas for retailing overall hides the contrast between sectors. A triple whammy of dramatically declining sales, margin-crushing discounts and rising costs hit non-food retailers hardest overwhelming some businesses and destroying retail jobs. Food sales were more resilient – we all have to eat.”
“Our own results show most people believe we have been in recession for months and have been behaving as if we were for some time. With customers already budgeting defensively as job fears mount, confirmation of recession can't weaken confidence much more.”
British Retail Consortium (BRC)
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