UK retail sales slid 1% last month, the key Christmas trading period, with consumers hit by sky-high inflation, official data showed today.

Sales by volume dropped for a second month running after a fall of 0.5% in November, the Office for National Statistics said in a statement.

“Retail sales dropped again in December, with feedback suggesting consumers cut back on their Christmas shopping due to affordability concerns,” said Heather Bovill, ONS deputy director for surveys and economic indicators.

Official data Wednesday showed UK annual inflation slowed to 10.5% last month.

However it remains close to a four-decade high that is causing a cost of living crisis and mass strikes by workers, including nurses, teachers and the railway sector. – AFP, January 20, 2023.