Last year ended on a flat note for UK retailers with sales up only 0.3% on a like-for-like basis in December.
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December’s growth was the weakest since March 2006 when sales were hit by Easter falling in April that year. It was the worse December figure since 2004.
The three-month trend rate of growth fell to 0.8% from 1.8% in November for like-for-like sales, and to 2.8% from 3.8% for total sales, reflecting the continuing growth of retail space.
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Kevin Hawkins, director general of the British Retail Consortium, said: “This result is somewhat worse than we expected and points to a very challenging first half for 2008.”
Helen Dickinson, Head of Retail at KPMG said: “Sales did grow in December but, as the worst performance since March 2006, growth can only be described as weak. In the lead-up to Christmas there were huge daily swings as shoppers replaced even spending patterns with a smaller number of bargain-hunting big swoops.”
Last week, figures suggested UK food retailers are outperforming the generally gloomy UK retail market, a notion backed by Dickinson.
“Sector performance also varied. Clothing and footwear sales actually fell in December for a third consecutive month, while food and drink, and toiletries and cosmetics grew,” she said.
