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Retail sales warm up slightly, but underlying conditions remain cool
Still, retailers are feeling the pinch, with continued weakness in investment intentions, employment, and business optimism. That’s according to the latest CBI Quarterly Distributive Trades Survey. The survey of 104 firms, of which 47 were retailers, showed sales volumes grew at a pace broadly in line with the long-run average in the year to November. Retailers expect sales volumes to expand at a roughly similar pace in the year to December. Orders placed on suppliers recovered in the year to November, following a fall in October, and are expected to grow at a similar pace next month. However, sales remained below ... (full story)