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Despite today's fall, sterling is still on track for a second week of gains against the dollar

Weak December UK retail sales upset sterling

Sterling edged lower against the dollar and the euro today as data showed retail sales bounced back weakly in December after shops in England emerged from a four-week November lockdown.

Business • 22 Jan 21

UK retail sales volumes rose 0.3% in December

UK retail sales make weak recovery in December

UK retail sales bounced back weakly in December as shops in England emerged from November's four-week lockdown to slow the spread of Covid-19, while public borrowing this financial year hit a fresh record high.

Business • 22 Jan 21

UK retail sales fell 3.8% on the month in November, new ONS figures show

UK retail sales fell in November due to lockdown

UK retail sales fell sharply last month when a four-week lockdown in England closed stores which sold non-essential goods to the public, official figures showed today.

Business • 18 Dec 20

The UK's public debt moved higher in October to reach a total of £2.077 trillion

UK borrows £22 billion in October, retail sales rise

The UK government borrowed £22.3 billion in October, well below the £35.2 billion forecast in a Reuters poll of economists but taking total public debt higher to £2.077 trillion, official figures showed today.

Business • 20 Nov 20

UK retail sales volumes grew by 1.5% in September alone and are 4.7% higher than a year earlier, new figures show

UK retail sales growth beat expectations in September

UK retail sales beat expectations last month and grew for a fifth month in a row, capping a record quarter of growth that took total sales volumes to 5.5% above their level before the pandemic.

Business • 23 Oct 20

The prospect of a chaotic end to the Brexit transition period in December if Britain fails to agree a trade deal with the EU continues to overhang sterling

UK retail data support sterling, outlook remains bleak

Sterling got support today from data showing British shoppers kept increasing spending last month, taking sales further above their pre-Covid-19 levels, although the outlook for the pound remains bleak.

Business • 18 Sep 20

UK retail sales had already overtaken pre-Covid levels in July and now stand 4% higher than before the crisis

UK retail sales rise further above pre-Covid levels

UK shoppers continued to increase spending last month, taking sales further above pre-Covid levels, as strong online demand helped much of the sector enjoyed a faster rebound than the rest of the economy.

Business • 18 Sep 20

DFS said it had generated an additional £100m in revenue for the year

DFS Furniture says performing ahead of expectations

British retailer DFS Furniture said today its performance over the last six weeks was significantly above of its initial expectations, generating an additional £100m in revenue for the year.

Business • 25 Aug 20

Companies including Marks & Spencer, Boots, John Lewis, Dixons Carphone and WH Smith have all announced plans for thousands of job cuts in recent weeks

UK retail sales surge past pre-Covid peak in July

British retail sales surged past their pre-coronavirus level in July, the first full month that shops selling non-essential goods were open since the country went into lockdown in March.

Business • 21 Aug 20

UK retail sales in June grew by 13.9% from May, above the average 8% growth forecast by economists

UK companies and shoppers show recovery signals

UK businesses have reported their fastest upturn in five years and shoppers pushed their spending back to near pre-lockdown levels, a survey and data published today showed.

Business • 24 Jul 20

UK retail sales volumes in May jumped by a record 12% after a historic 18% slump in April.

May UK retail sales rebound, borrowing above forecasts

British retail sales rebounded much more strongly than expected last month but public borrowing came in at a record high, as the country gradually relaxed its coronavirus lockdown, official data showed today.

Business • 19 Jun 20

The British Retail Consortium said total retail spending at its members - mostly large chains - was 5.9% lower than a year ago

UK retailers report smaller drop in annual sales in May

UK retailers reported a sharp fall in annual sales last month, but less of a decline than in April, after some Covid-19 restrictions eased and more shoppers went online, industry data showed today.

Business • 09 Jun 20

UK retail sales fell by a record 18% as the coronavirus crisis hammered the economy in April

UK borrowing soars, retail sales plunge due to Covid-19

The UK government borrowed more than it has done in any month on record in April, pushing up a measure of public debt to close to 100% of economic output.

Business • 22 May 20

UK retail sales plunged by 5.1% in March from February, the sharpest drop since the ONS records began in 1996

UK retailers suffer record sales plunge on Covid-19 hit

British retail sales saw their biggest fall on record in March as a surge in food buying for the coronavirus lockdown was dwarfed by a plunge in sales of clothing and most other goods, official figures showed today.

Business • 24 Apr 20

The slowdown came even before what UK shops expect to be the biggest fall in sales for over a decade due to coronavirus-imposed shutdowns

UK retail sales stagnate in February, before virus hit

British retail sales stagnated last month in their weakest performance in nearly seven years, official data showed today.

Business • 26 Mar 20

UK retail sales volumes fell by 0.6% in December from November

UK consumers cut back on spending again

UK consumers failed to increase their spending for a record fifth month in a row in December, adding to signs of economic weakening that might prompt the Bank of England to cut interest rates this month.

Business • 17 Jan 20

UK clothing sales down 4.5% in May, dragging overall retail sales lower

UK retail sales take a tumble in May - ONS

British retail sales sank in May, official data showed today, sounding a downbeat note on the Brexit-facing economy ahead of an interest rate decision from the Bank of England.

Business • 20 Jun 19

Warmer weather boosted clothing sales in April, new ONS figures show

UK shoppers pause for breath after surge in spending

British shoppers paused for breath in April after months of strong buying, according to official data that showed continued underlying strength of consumer spending during the Brexit crisis.

Business • 24 May 19

Wild swings in the pound subsided last week when EU leaders granted Britain the Brexit delay to October 31

Sterling falls despite strong UK retail sales data

Sterling fell today as the dollar's rally gathered momentum, with strong British retail sales data doing little to shake the currency out of a slumber following a six-month extension to Brexit.

Business • 18 Apr 19

New ONS figures show that total UK retail sales increased by 1.1% compared to February, when they rose 0.6%

UK retail sales surge despite Brexit uncertainty

UK retail sales rose far more than expected in March, official data showed today, despite political uncertainty over Brexit and turmoil for department stores.

Business • 18 Apr 19

Mild weather last month boosted spending at UK garden centres and on sporting equipment, the ONS said

UK shoppers keep on spending as Brexit looms

UK retailers racked up surprisingly strong sales last month, reinforcing how spending by consumers is a bright spot for the economy ahead of Brexit.

Business • 21 Mar 19

UK retail sales volumes jumped by a monthly 1% in January after their biggest fall in December in a year-and-a-half

UK retail sales soar as shoppers flock to sales

British retail sales rebounded strongly in January as steep clothing discounts attracted wary shoppers, bucking a slowdown in consumer spending ahead of Brexit.

Business • 15 Feb 19

UK retail sales volumes fell 0.2% in the fourth quarter after a 0.2% rise in the three months to November

UK shoppers rein in spending as Brexit nears

British shoppers cut back on spending in the three months to December for the first time since last spring, adding to evidence of a consumer slowdown as Brexit approaches, data showed today.

Business • 18 Jan 19

UK retail sales volumes, including the Black Friday sales period, jumped by 1.4% in November after two months of decline

Bumper Black Friday boosts UK retail sales

UK shoppers sought out Black Friday discounts in their droves last month, pushing retail sales growth to a six-month high.

Business • 20 Dec 18

UK retail sales volumes in September dropped by 0.8% from August, new ONS figures show

Slump in food shopping drags down UK retail sales

A free-spending summer by UK consumers came to an abrupt end last month with the biggest fall in sales in six months, raising questions about one of the main drivers of the economy ahead of Brexit, official figures show.

Business • 18 Oct 18

Uk Retail Sales