The Confederation of British Industry said that UK retailers reported a decrease in sales before Christmas.

A survey shows that UK retailers reported a decrease in sales before Christmas, and they are more pessimistic about the outlook for early 2026. The UK Confederation of British Industry (CBI) said its measure of retail sales compared to the same period last year dropped from -32 in November to -44 in December. The index of sales expectations for the next month fell from -24 to -57, marking the worst performance since March 2021. Official data released earlier on Friday showed that retail sales in the UK fell last month, marking the latest in a series of data indicating that the overall economy was slowing down before the release of the budget at the end of November.