Rising inflation, interest rates and credit card use, balanced with the falling value of the pound, means it hasn’t been the brightest year for Britain’s economy. And at the start of the fourth quarter, the retail environment couldn’t be more uninspiring. Last week, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported UK retail sales fell by 0.3% in October from a year earlier – this marks the first annual fall since March 2013. And it claims all the signs point to consumers “adopting a more cautious mindset”.
