The surge in retail sales at Christmas failed to be sustained into January, but retailers' expectations for February are the best for eight months according to the latest snapshot of the high street by the CBI.
While just over a quarter (28 per cent) of high street retailers said sales volumes in the first two weeks of January were up on a year ago, 38 per cent said they were down.
Expectation for sales in February are the best since May last year.
Steve Rankin, CBI regional director for the Thames Valley, said: "Life on the street for many retailers is proving increasingly difficult.
"As retailers had feared, the spending surge seen in December was short-lived and not sustained into the new year.
However, sales in January were the least negative for eight months, with the exception of Christmas.''
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