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Currency Markets

UK Retail Numbers Fall For First Time In 25 Years

C

Christopher Gutfreund

Founder · 09 January 2020

Currencies Covered:

GBP

Figures released earlier today by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) have indicated that total retail sales fell by 0.1% over 2019.

Thursday 9th January 2020  - 09:30 (GMT)

Figures released earlier today by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) have indicated that total retail sales fell by 0.1% over 2019. This was the first yearly contraction since records began back in 1995. Analyst blame this on a mix of general uncertainty over the economic impact of Brexit and also a trend towards spending on experiences rather than material objects.

It was a difficult year overall for the UK high street as a number of major retailers collapsed into administration, including the gift and card empire Clintons, camera specialist Jessops, and the new parent staple, Mothercare.

It wasn’t all doom-and-gloom however, as numbers form the BRC also indicated that like-for-like retail sales climbed slightly in December. This was primarily due to the relatively late Black Friday that has grown in popularity since its import from the USA in 2013.

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