UK retail figures delivered some unexpected gloom from the high street today after official statistics confirmed November sales fell for the first time in six months.
The Office for National Statistics said a record drop in department store sales and poor performance in the clothing and footwear sector left sales volumes down 0.3% between October and November - the first month-on-month fall since May.
Most analysts had expected sales to rise by 0.6% last month after industry surveys pointed to a better performance in November.
