The “golden quarter” appears at first to have been not so much golden as decidedly bronze as figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show a surprise drop in sales in December. However, closer inspection reveals a more positive outlook.
December is traditionally a key month for retailers as they aim to maximize Christmas sales. However, according to the ONS, retail sales fell 0.3% last month. This was unexpected, as economists had forecast growth of 0.4%.
