2020 was the worst year in British history for the retail sector; Which has faced three closures since the start of the Corona pandemic in the first quarter of the year.

According to Arabiya Net, new reports published in the British press showed that retailers recorded their worst annual performance ever in 2020, as the Christmas increase failed to stem the decline Sales ended the year with the worst performance compared to previous years.

total sales decreased by 0.3% year over year compared to 2019, which represents the worst annual change since the start of the survey in 1995, i.e. the worst year on record It is recorded in the country's history for the retail sector.

The decline was driven by a 5% drop in non-food sales as retailers of fashion, lifestyle and household items were affected by the forced closure of non-essential stores for large parts of the year. / p>

Helen Dickinson, CEO of the British Retail Consortium (BRC), said: The Coronavirus pandemic has resulted in 2020 being the worst year ever for retail sales growth. p>

she added: Non-food stores - including all non-core retailers - saw sales drop by a quarter compared to 2019.

And she continued: Christmas did not provide a little respite for retailers, as many stores were forced to close also during the trading session.

However, food sales increased 5.4% during the year as shoppers flocked to supermarkets and increased online shopping for foodstuffs to ensure they are stored during the pandemic. / p>

and in December 2020, total retail sales rose 1.8% as shoppers spent more in the lead up to Christmas, the latest retail sales monitoring revealed.

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Similarly, sales increased by 4.8% during the month, as overall store acquisitions continue to be affected by restrictions and temporary closings.

non-food online sales jumped 44.8% in December, according to the new figures, with a higher percentage of online shopping occurring.