It's not been an easy few years for Britain's retail sector. Despite an exceptionally challenging trading environment in 2022, total UK retail sales increased by 3.1% last year from 2021.
On a total basis, sales increased by 6.9% in December - up from 2.1% the year previously. Despite the uptick in spending, however, sales growth remained below inflation at the end of last year. And the industry is facing "further headwinds" in 2023, according to the boss of the British Retail Consortium (BRC)
Helen Dickinson, the BRC's chief executive, said cost pressures show "little immediate signs of waning".
