Australian retail sales fell 1.5% in September from the month before, initial estimates showed, although a solid rise in quarterly sales on a year ago still augered well for an economy facing its worst downturn in a generation, analysts said.

Months into the coronavirus pandemic, the latest results from consumer products giant Procter & Gamble and its rival Reckitt Benckiser suggest consumer behavior may have changed permanently, or at least for the foreseeable future.

Consumers expect to keep a tight rein on their spending, as their financial worries mount, according to the latest holiday survey by Deloitte among 4,000 American consumers.

A new report paints a gloomy picture for retailers just as the Welsh government plans to impose a two-week ‘firebreak’ lockdown from this Friday at 6pm.

Sales in vacation destination counties have seen a strong acceleration since July.

Nervous shoppers are expected to spend less and do more shopping online.