The November lockdown brought to an end a five month retail rebound.Retail sales in the UK grew 0.9% in November compared with the same month last year, down from a 4.9% annual expansion in October, according to data from British Retail Consortium and KPMG.

The near-stagnation marked a widely diverging sector. Non-food stores experienced a double-digit decline in sales, despite a strong online performance. Online sales rose at an annual rate of 47% in November