'Worst year for retail in 25 years' bbc.com

Total sales fell last year for the first time since 1995, says the British Retail Consortium.
Retail sales fell for the first time in 25 years last year, according to the leading UK retail industry body.

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) said total sales fell 0.1%, marking the first annual sales decline since 1995.

Sales in November and December were particularly weak, falling 0.9%, the BRC said.