UK sales growth dips below average in December

British Retail Consortium

Total UK retail sales grew by 1.7% in December, a significant dip from 6.9% in December 2022, and below the three-month average growth of 2.3% and the 12-month average of 3.6%.

However, total retail sales for 2023 increased by 3.6% from 2022, the British Retail Consortium found. UK businesses forecast sizeable drop in inflationary pressures The biggest increase in the three months to December 2023 was registered for food sales, which rose by 6.8% on a total basis. But food sales were still below the 12-month average of 8.1%. The BRC noted that for the month of December, food was "in growth year-on-year". Non-food sales, however, decreased by 1.5% on a total basis in the last quarter of 2023, compared with the 12-month average of -0.1%. The category dec...