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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Josie Clarke

Wet February dampens retail sales amid Middle East conflict threat to confidence

Middle East United Kingdom Harry Styles Barclays the Middle East
Shoppers brave the rain to shop on Oxford Street, London (Stefan Rousseau/PA) - (PA Archive)

February’s wet weather dampened retail sales across the UK amid warnings that the Middle East conflict is threatening to halt any longer-term recovery in consumer confidence.

Total UK retail sales increased by just 1.1% year on year, against already sluggish growth last February and well below the 12-month average of 2.3%, according to British Retail Consortium (BRC) and KPMG figures.

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