Daily Mail

High street hit as sales slump to six-year low

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A CHILL has swept through the high street ahead of Christmas with evidence of a slump in shopping.

Store sales of non-food goods from clothes and shoes to washing machines fell by . per cent in the three months to October.

Analysts blamed unseasonal warm weather and suggested people may be holding back in the hope of finding bargains in the Black Friday sales at the end of this month.

The sales figures come from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) which said they were the worst since it began collecting the data in January 011.

Normally, poor sales in shopping centres and the high street would be rescued by a switch to online. However, this has not materialis­ed.

Sales of non-food products through the web rose by a disappoint­ing 4 per cent in October which is the lowest annual growth rate for almost five years.

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