How are European retailers faring in face of market uncertainty?

Weak Q1 sales

For clothing retailers, highly stocked in summer attire, the prospects for this spring/summer season are proving overcast, writes Comgest's Alistair Wittet

UK sales in the first quarter were the weakest since the financial crisis and have not visibly improved. But is the weather really to blame? Next CEO Lord Wolfson noted, after the retailer's second warning that "there may be a cyclical move away from spending on clothing back into areas that suffered the most during the credit crunch." Spending data, over recent quarters from Barclaycard, would appear to corroborate this with leisure expenditure growth outstripping apparel spending. Consumer staples, media and property: The UK sectors to back in 2016 Others argue the rise in onl...