Cardiff is bustling with shoppers during the last weekend of Christmas, with cars queueing to park and swarms of people walking through the streets. On the face of it at least it looks like a bumper day of sales, a good day at the tills. But does that tell the whole story?
The forecasts have not been encouraging. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said that retail sales volumes dropped by 0.4% last month, a much weaker result than expected.
Major retailers have also indicated that sales have been down, blaming the rising cost of living. Rail strikes have driven fears of a knock-on effect to footfall in town and city centres. Even the weather has done its best to keep shoppers away.
