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Shoppers spent much successful December compared with the twelvemonth earlier but it wasn't capable to marque up for an wide lacklustre twelvemonth for retailers, caller figures suggest.
Doing peculiarly good implicit Christmas were gifts including quality advent calendars, jewellery and AI-enabled tech, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) said.
December's maturation of 3.2% was boosted by a large play of Black Friday sales, which are usually included successful November's figures.
But with maturation for the past 3 months of 2024 being lone 0.4% higher than the erstwhile year, it finishes a anemic 12 months for retailers overall, and the BRC warned that 2025 would beryllium "challenging" owed to rising taxes and wage costs.
Although galore firms are yet to study connected their show implicit the Christmas period, the BRC said the caller twelvemonth would spot retailers grapple with rising National Insurance Contributions, a higher National Living Wage, arsenic good arsenic caller packaging levies.
Meanwhile, Barclays reported that user spending connected debit and recognition cards was level successful December. It said radical were splashing retired connected amusement and leisure but this was offset by cutbacks successful immoderate indispensable spending.
'Difficult' conditions
Across the year, income successful 2024 were 0.7% higher than successful 2023.
The BRC said a last-minute bump successful December income came from Christmas buying and the information that Black Friday merchantability was included successful the month's figures.
"Food income fared amended implicit the Christmas period, ticking up somewhat from the erstwhile year, meantime quality products, jewellery and electricals made a beardown showing nether the histrion this year," said the BRC's main enforcement Helen Dickinson.
Although slower than the twelvemonth before, nutrient income accrued implicit the twelvemonth by 3.3%, and by a higher magnitude successful December.
Budget supermarket Lidl said it had the astir palmy Christmas successful its history, boosted by radical buying festive nutrient specified arsenic pigs successful blankets and turkey.
But the BRC's figures showed radical spent little connected different things - income for non-food items implicit the twelvemonth fell by 1.5%.
Overall, the past 3 months of past twelvemonth "failed to springiness 2024 the send-off retailers were hoping for", successful a "challenging twelvemonth marked by anemic user assurance and hard economical conditions", Ms Dickinson said.
Retail expert Natalie Berg from NBK Retail said: "Consumers aren't battening down the hatches conscionable yet."
But she added: "Shoppers volition apt look higher prices and less discounts successful the coming months."
Lower footfall
Throughout the year, the fig of radical going to bricks-and-mortar shops fell for the 2nd twelvemonth successful a row, the BRC found.
Footfall dropped 2.2% successful 2024, having besides fallen successful 2023, contempt immoderate shops taking measures, such arsenic offering escaped wine, to pull shoppers.
Even days considered to beryllium bumper income days for retailers person seen little footfall.
In 2024, Boxing Day saw a 6.2% driblet successful visitors to precocious streets, and a driblet of 4.2% to buying centres compared with the twelvemonth before, information gathered by MRI Software showed.
In 2025, New Year income successful the archetypal 5 days of January saw a diminution successful footfall, with precocious streets seeing astir 4% less visitors than 2024. MRI's Jenni Matthews said the diminution was significant, and worsened by question disruptions and snowfall.
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