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Black Friday sales do not appear to have provided much cheer for retailers amid continued consumer caution, according to official figures.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported a 0.1% decline in sales volumes during November, compared to the previous month, when the data is adjusted for seasonal effects due to the pre-Christmas shopping bonanza falling in December last year.
Economists polled by the Reuters news agency had expected growth of 0.4%. The dip was worse when the effects of fuel sales were excluded.
Rolling three-month data showed positive sales volumes were only propped up by strength in September.
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ONS senior statistician Hannah Finselbach said: “Retail continued to grow in the three months to November, helped by a strong performance from clothing and tech shops.
“This year November’s Black Friday discounts did not boost sales as much as in some recent years, meaning that once we adjust for usual seasonality, our headline figures fell a little on the month.
“Meanwhile, our separate household survey showed that although some people said they were planning to do more shopping… this Black Friday than last, almost twice as many said they were planning to do less.”
The data was released against a backdrop of widespread consumer and business caution in the run-up to the budget on 26 November – held just two days before Black Friday – although promotional activity was already well underway before Rachel Reeves’s speech.
That period was dominated by on-off signals over income tax hikes and black holes in the public finances, but the budget…
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