British retail sales growth almost ground to a halt in February as supermarkets and department stores reported much lower sales, an industry survey showed on Monday. The Confederation of British Industry's retail sales balance slumped to +1 from +39 in January, far below economists' forecasts of +34 and the lowest reading since November 2013. Retailers also cut orders with suppliers at the fastest pace since May 2013, and over the next three months they expect to reduce staff at the sharpest rate in more than five years. "After a strong start to the year, retailers were disappointed by the unexpected halt in sales ... (full story)