December’s unexpected rise in retail sales volumes wasn’t enough to prevent yet another disappointing “Golden Quarter” for the retail sector, with sales declining by 0.3% q/q in Q4 overall. And while we don’t expect sales volumes to continue to decline, we suspect that retail spending growth, and broader consumer spending growth, will remain fairly soft in 2026.
Become a client to read more
This is premium content that requires an active Capital Economics subscription to view.
Already have an account?
You may already have access to this premium content as part of a paid subscription.
Sign in to read the content in full or get details of how you can access it
Register for free
Sign up for a free account to:
- Unlock additional content
- Register for Capital Economics events
- Receive email updates and economist-curated newsletters
- Request a free trial of our services