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January 10th, 2012 
FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda
By
Sean Poulter
Last updated at 12:15 AM on 10th January 2012
Savage price cuts drove a surprise jump in Christmas retail spending, it is revealed today.
The total value of sales in December was up by 4.1 per cent compared with the same month last year, according to the British Retail Consortium.
However, the increase came on the back of deep cuts in prices and the profit margins of many household name retailers.
Heavy discounts: Oxford Street shoppers take advantage of the Christmas Sales which have driven a surprise jump in High Street spending
Further evidence of the strife came yesterday, with HMV revealing a drop in Christmas sales as customers switched to buying on the web and in supermarkets.
Morrisons, one of the big four supermarkets, also revealed Christmas sales were not as strong as many City analysts predicted.
Marks Spencer is unlikely to deliver spectacular trading results in an announcement today, while Tesco is expected to announce a poor Christmas.
The BRC said that, while total retail sales were up 4.1 per cent, those through outlets open more than a year were up by a more modest 2.2 per cent.
Bricks and mortar stores have
suffered from a shift to shopping on the web. This is borne out by the
BRC figures showing an annual increase of 18.5per cent in internet sales
in December.
BRC director general, Stephen
Robertson, said the better than expected sales figures were driven by
one-off factors rather than any new optimism among shoppers.
‘A better than hoped-for December
closed a relentlessly tough year for retailers, but these figures hinged
on a dazzling last pre-Christmas week and were boosted by some major
one-off factors,’ he said.
‘We’re not witnessing any fundamental change in customers’ circumstances.’
He said the increase in sales was
inflated by the fact they are being compared with December last year,
when high streets were hit by heavy snow.
‘Discounting was deeper and started
earlier…Post-Christmas offers brought large numbers of shoppers out but
that was generally a short-lived hunt for bargains,’ said Mr Robertson.
‘With discounting driving sales at the expense of margins the key question for retailers is about earnings from those sales.
‘With consumer confidence returning
to levels last seen during the recession, 2012 is expected to be an
equally challenging year.’
Pyrrhic victory: The jump in sales came on the back of deep cuts in prices, hitting the profit margins of many household names
Head of retail at KPMG, Helen Dickinson, said: ‘December’s figures saw retailers achieve a 2.2 per cent increase in like-for-like sales, albeit against a background of heavy discounting and long opening hours.
‘The month’s figures saw the strongest growth in food sales of the year as people spent on food for the big day. Clothing and footwear also had a spectacular month.
‘Deals helped consumers finally upgrade winter wardrobes as winter commenced in earnest.’
The major department stores, Debenhams and House of Fraser, ran a series of promotions in December. These were matched by John Lewis under its ‘Never Knowingly Undersold’ promise.
Big spenders: Shoppers throng Oxford Street, London, on December 17, the busiest shopping day of the year
MS also offered 25per cent off promotion on cashmere knitwear and nightwear.
HMV, which owns 252 stores in the UK, saw group like-for-like sales fall 8.1 per cent in the five weeks to December 31 compared to a year earlier.
The firm which recently sold bookseller Waterstone’s and announced plans to sell its live music division, repeated its warning that there were ‘material uncertainties’ which may cast doubt on the group’s ability to continue.
But chief executive Simon Fox added: ‘Undoubtedly trading conditions and the consumer environment remain challenging, but we remain confident in HMV’s future prospects.’
The company has signalled a shift into selling technology, such as games consoles and computer tablets.
Morrisons, which has 450 stores in the UK, saw like-for-like sales excluding VAT and fuel increase 0.7per cent in the six weeks to January 1. The City had expected sales growth of 1per cent.
The slowdown came despite Morrisons, the fourth biggest supermarket in the UK, claiming a record number of customers, with an extra 800,000 per week shopping there during the period.
Jon Copestake, retail industry analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit, said: ‘Larger retailers face growing frugality as fears over employment and the economy grow.’
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