UK retailers saw their weakest Christmas sales volumes since 2007 last month, official figures showed today.
Sales volumes grew by just 0.3% over the month, the Office for National Statistics said - far less than the 1.1% growth expected. Year-on-year, sales volumes grew 2.1% - the lowest annual growth for a December since 1998.
But retail sales values were up 3.6% year-on-year - the second highest for the month since 2001.
The figures follow a host of updates from many of the high street's biggest names reporting strong Christmas trading.
Many UK retailers were forced to cut prices before Christmas a year earlier to tempt in hard-pressed shoppers at the height of the recession, but there was far less discounting this time around with the worst of the slump over.
More shoppers were tempted to spend by record low interest rates and increasing confidence. There have been other cost pressures on retailers this year, such as the weaker pound putting up import prices.
Sales volumes in food stores were 2.8% ahead of a year earlier, but the turnover through the tills was up by 4.9%. Among non-food stores, volumes rose 0.7% although sales values were up 1.6% on the year.
The biggest increase in sales volumes came among clothing and footwear stores, up 4.7% year on year due to Christmas shopping and the much colder weather. Non-specialised retailers - such as department stores - increased volumes by 1.5%.
