Retailers suffer ‘disappointing’ October amid pre-Budget jitters

The British Retail Consortium said rising energy bills had also ‘spooked’ some consumers (Dominic Lipinski/PA) - (PA Wire)

Retailers suffered a “disappointing” October after pre-Budget uncertainty coupled with rising energy bills “spooked” consumers, figures suggest.

Total UK retail sales were up 0.6% year-on-year last month against a 2.6% increase last October, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC)-KPMG Retail Sales Monitor.