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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Business
Richard Partington Economics correspondent

UK retailers may have to cut thousands of jobs after bleak Christmas

United Kingdom BDO Helen Dickinson Inflation BRC
A shopper walks outside a store in Oxford Street
Retail sales growth over the ‘golden quarter’ between October and December came close to flatlining. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

Britain’s largest retailers are warning they could be forced to cut thousands of jobs this year as the industry braces for higher taxes and employment costs after a bleak Christmas shopping season.

In the latest sign of tough trading conditions on the high street, figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) show sales growth over the “golden quarter” between October and December came close to flatlining.

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