UK retail sales hit by surprise downturn despite big discounting

Drop of 0.1% blamed on pre-Brexit concerns and declines in employment and wages growth

Britain's shops were hit by a surprise downturn in sales in the run-up to Christmas after official figures showed a 0.1% drop in October.

City analysts had expected consumers to continue their month-on-month spending increases with a 0.1% rise, albeit largely built on heavy discounting by retailers.