Disposable income is down as the costs of food, fuel, and utilities increase, and a range of non-food retailers, from Mothercare to Tesco are struggling as cash-strapped consumers are more careful in their spending.
Profits warnings were issued by Mothercare and SuperGroup and Tesco has had its worst UK sales performance for 20 years, although global sales pushed pre-tax profits up 12%.
J Sainsbury, however, increased sales slightly and complained there was “too much doom and gloom.”
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/91862d3c-ef7f-11e0-941e-00144feab49a.html