DE4CC0DE-5FC3-4494-BCBF-4D50B00366B5
Retail

UK Retail Sales Slump In October As Economy Wanes: CBI

By Dayeeta Das
Share this article
UK Retail Sales Slump In October As Economy Wanes: CBI

Britain's retail recovery, a bright spot in the COVID-hit economy, came to a halt this month after several months of improvement, an industry survey showed on Tuesday.

The Confederation of British Industry's (CBI) monthly gauge of retail sales fell to -23 in October, its lowest level since June, after hitting an 18-month high of +11 in September.

A Reuters poll of economists had pointed to a reading of +1.

The figures follow other surveys in recent days that show consumer confidence declined sharply this month amid a second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

'A Warning Sign'

"The fall in retail sales in October is a warning sign of a further loss of momentum in the economy as coronavirus cases pick up and restrictions are tightened across many parts of the country," CBI economist Ben Jones said.

ADVERTISEMENT

He warned that retailers faced a difficult Christmas trading period.

Retailers' expectations for sales in November fell sharply and they increasingly expect to cut orders to suppliers, the survey showed.

News by Reuters, edited by ESM. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.

Get the week's top grocery retail news

The most important stories from European grocery retail direct to your inbox every Thursday

Processing your request...

Thanks! please check your email to confirm your subscription.

By signing up you are agreeing to our terms & conditions and privacy policy. You can unsubscribe at any time.