Festive fears as Budget caution hits retail sales

RETAIL sales fell 1.1 per cent in October, following a 0.7 per cent rise last month, in a "disappointing" start to the all-important festive season ahead of next week's Budget, say consumer experts.

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Sales in clothing were particularly affected as shoppers took a more cautious approach, with spending "constrained by consumer nervousness amid some mixed messaging from a Chancellor still weighing up her fiscal headroom," said Erin Brookes, European Retail and Consumer Lead at Alvarez & Marsal.