U.K. retail sales fell more than twice in January lockdown
U.K. retail sales fell more than twice as fast as expected in January as the latest national lockdown closed stores in what’s traditionally a busy period with post-holiday discounts. Sales in shops and online fell 8.2% after posting a small increase in December, the Office for National Statistics said Friday. It was worse than the lowest forecast and the third consecutive downside surprise. While the reading was less severe than the 18% drop during the first lockdown in April, it underscores the toll the restrictions are taking on retailers. All non-essential stores to shut for weeks at a time, damping […]