It could be the snow, cold temperatures and early sunsets, but something is having an effect on retail sales throughout the United Kingdom. The latest statistics show that for the past two months, businesses saw unexpected declines in their sales amounts, which is a trend both economists and companies are hoping will not continue throughout the year.

Bloomberg reports that according to the Confederation of British Industry, sales growth among U.K. retailers fell in February, from 17 in January to a five-month low of 8 for this month. This figure was forecasted to drop to 16, however, the more-than-expected decrease was shocking for the nation. On the other hand, analysts are hoping that things will begin picking back up in March, the news source reports.

The Guardian cites statistics from the British Retail Consortium which found that retail sales volumes dropped 0.6 percent in January from the previous month. In addition, foot traffic in stores fell 3.3 percent, which analysts attribute to poor weather conditions such as snow and cold temperatures.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Friday, March 1st, 2013 at 7:09 am .