No Christmas rush as sales fall
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UK High Street sales dipped in November as higher interest rates hit shoppers' finances, the British Retail Consortium says.
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WASHINGTON -- Consumers, battered by harsh economic crosswinds, spent less in December than at any time in the past 15 months.
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Sales at US retailers including Wal- Mart Stores Inc. probably slowed in November, the start of the holiday shopping season, as rising energy prices curbed consumer spending.
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UK retail sales fall for the second month in a row in November, the CBI says, but stores remain upbeat about Christmas.
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Retail spending by Americans was  little changed in December as consumers anxious over the  housing slump and high oil prices held back on purchases during  the crucial holiday season, a report released on Friday showed.
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Economic pressures and online deals  might have led consumers to sharply limit their trips to  retailers in the week leading up to Christmas, data tracker  ShopperTrak RCT said on Thursday.
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In spite of a burst of Friday spending, the holiday shopping season got off to a sluggish start, forcing retailers to reassess their strategies for luring buyers. Slow sales reported by three retail sales trackers on Tuesday were blamed on higher fuel costs and an overall lack of confidence in the economy.
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Supermarket Sainsbury's reports a modest rise in sales over the Christmas period.
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LOS ANGELES - Toy makers and major retailers are bracing for potentially weak Christmas sales this year amid concerns that consumers, many squeezed by skyrocketing gas prices or uneasiness over the economy, will spend less on holiday shopping.    On Monday, No...
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Early holiday sales reports are weak, with Target Corp., the nation's No.2 retailer, warning that its sales may have fallen in December.
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Retail spending by Americans was little changed in December as consumers anxious over the housing slump and high oil prices held back on purchases during the crucial holiday season, a report released on Friday showed.
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U.S. retailers were on track to post  solid -- but not spectacular -- sales this holiday after a  last-minute dash to stores saved Christmas, according to three  retail indices on Tuesday.
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NEW YORK (Billboard) - Just when it seemed erosion of music sales during the holiday season couldn't get worse, December snowstorms compounded the retail industry's misery.
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Retail sales fell 0.3 percent in January  --  the weakest showing in five months  --  as a big drop in demand for cars offset strength at clothing and department stores. Spending was powered mostly by consumers anxious to use holiday gift cards.
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New single-family U.S. home sales fell 4.7 percent in December to the lowest rate in nearly 13 years while the median sales price dropped sharply according to a government report on Monday that delivered more grim news for the housing sector.
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NEW YORK (Billboard) - Christmas sales came in the nick of  time, saving the holiday selling season for most merchants at  the last minute.
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WASHINGTON -- The holiday shopping season may not be so bad after all. Consumers came surging back into stores in November, revving retail sales at the fastest pace in four months.