Hopes of Black Friday deals dampen October sales, says BRC

Like-for-like sales down 0.2% on same month last year, suggesting consumers delaying spending until US-inspired discount day in November

Britain's retailers experienced a drop in sales last month, according to industry figures that suggest shoppers are putting off spending in anticipation of the discounts on Black Friday at the end of November.

The British Retail Consortium also said that with Halloween falling on a Saturday this year fewer people went shopping on that key day for the sector. Retail sales in October were down 0.2% on a like-for-like basis compared with the same month last year, according to the BRC's monthly retail sales monitor. The drop marked a change in fortunes after a sharp 2.6% rise in annual sales in September - although those figures were distorted by the timing of the end of summer bank holiday.

Related: Angry Argos bargain-hunters complain at online sales glitch