High street faces 'long, hard winter' after retailers suffer worst run for three years

GET YOUR CUSTOM KETO DIET HERE: High street faces 'long, hard winter' after retailers suffer worst run for three years. The high street faces a ‘long, hard winter’ after retailers suffered their worst run for three years just as shops enter the Christmas period, analysts have warned.

Households are reining in their spending in the face of political uncertainty, Office for National Statistics figures suggest.

Total retail sales fell 0.1 per cent in October, the third consecutive month of decline, making the last three months the worst run for retailers since late 2016.

Department stores and shops selling household goods have suffered the most. 

The likes of Marks & Spencer and John Lewis saw sales fall 1.7 per cent in the last three months, compared to 2018, while household goods retailers saw a 4.5 per cent slump. But all main sectors saw sales fall except food stores.

At the same time shoppers are continuing to move online, with web sales as a proportion of all retailing rising to 19.2 per cent.

The Mail’s Save Our High Streets campaign calls for a more level playing field between bricks-and-mortar shops and their online rivals. 

Some analysts say the General Election in the peak Christmas present-buying period provides another headache for retailers.

Ed Monk, of Fidelity International, said: ‘With many of the UK’s largest retailers unveiling their festive adverts this week, the countdown to Christmas is well and truly on.

‘However, this morning’s retail sales figures, which once again show households cautious in their spending, suggest it could be a long, hard winter.’

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