9 Quotes by John Longworth

Retailers have been pinning their hopes on Christmas bringing some festive cheer after months of depressed trading, and these figures are better than expected. They reflect the efforts made to entice customers back into shops, but the question is at what cost as prices are so heavily discounted.

Some held earlier and longer summer sales despite margins already being very tight, but there has been little sign in this survey of a response from consumers.

We will have to wait and see whether this summer's World Cup yields the anticipated boost in sales and wait for signs of sustained 'recovery' to be confirmed.

With rapidly rising household bills for energy, water and council tax, it's no wonder that consumers remain cautious about spending money expect on basics such as food.

April's survey could be interpreted as an early sign of a mild revival on the high street but let's not jump the gun.

As retailers had feared, the spending surge was short-lived.

As retailers had feared, the spending surge seen in December was short-lived and not sustained into the new year.

Conditions in August continued to be very tough for retailers and many fear the outlook is going to get worse before it improves.

The colder weather during March has kept Spring on hold, putting the stops on people buying new clothes and venturing out of doors and into the high street.