By Geoffrey Smith
Investing.com -- U.K. retail sales fell in real, seasonally-adjusted terms for the third time in four months in November, as promotions ahead of Black Friday failed to gain much traction with consumers hard-pressed by double-digit inflation.
The Office for National Statistics said that retail sales volumes fell 0.4% from October and were down 5.9% on the year, although it revised October's data higher to show a bigger rebound from September, when sales were depressed by official days of mourning for Queen Elizabeth II.
Excluding volatile auto and fuel, core sales volumes fell 0.3%. Analysts had expected both headline and core sales to grow by 0.3%.
Online retailers fared particularly badly, with sales falling 2.8%. However, they are still up over 18% from their level three years ago, just before the eruption of a pandemic which accelerated the long-term trend toward e-commerce.
Non-food stores posted a drop of 0.6% in sales on the month, while food stores fared better, rising 0.9%. The ONS said anecdotal evidence from retailers suggested that customers stocked up early for Christmas.