December retail sales were flat, missing expectations

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/10/december-retail-sales-were-flat-missing-expectations.html

https://www.theindustry.fashion/golden-quarter-falls-flat-as-december-fails-to-boost-retail-sales/

Makes sense since nothing is really going on in December anyway …………

Retail sales were expected to increase 0.5% in December, according to the Dow Jones consensus. In store fell 0.5% and online by 0.6%

‘Golden Quarter’ falls flat as December fails to boost retail sales

December marked the worst set of total monthly sales figures since November 2024, with sales volumes across the crucial ‘Golden Quarter’ “significantly down” on the same period in 2024.

That’s according to the latest High Street Sales Tracker from accountancy and business advisory firm BDO, which says high street stores suffered a sales decline of 0.5% in December 2025 compared to the same month in the previous year. Inflation and the cost of living have been cited for the sales slide.

Total retail sales across discretionary spend categories fell by 1.4% in December, compared to the same month in 2024, while in-store sales fell by 0.5% and online sales by 0.6 as sales volumes declined across channels.

That followed disappointing sales figures in October and November 2025, when high street stores recorded below inflation sales figures.