Japan’s retail sales fell by more than expected in February, as the new government outlines plans to trigger inflation and a boost in consumer spending. The Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said sales fell 2.3 per cent from a year before, a steeper drop than analysts’ forecast of a 1.2 per cent dip.

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Despite gains made in September, October saw sales volumes fall 0.8 per cent compared with the previous month, according to the Office for National Statistics. The result was a much sharper fall than anticipated, leaving the annual increase at 0.6 per cent. The latest figures have raised fears that the small lift seen in September was only a short-lived improvement, leading to the possibility that the UK economy could contract again into a recession.

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Having emerged from a nine month recession by the skin of its teeth, the UK’s economy could be in for another boost, as research shows British firms plan to hire more staff in the next 12 months. Business lobby CBI surveyed 300 firms, with over 1.4 million employees between them, and found 35 per cent of employers expected staffing levels to rise in the next 12 months, while just 15 per cent saw them shrinking.

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Official figures on Thursday show the economy grew by 1.0 per cent in the three months to September, finally exiting the double-dip recession. The Office for National Statistics gave its first estimate of third quarter growth today, ending nine months of contraction in which the economy shrank 1.1 per cent.

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Food inflation fell to 3.1 per cent in July from 3.5 per cent in June, the lowest level in two years, and a result that's likely to provide some much needed relief for Britain’s hard-pressed consumers. Overall shop price inflation slowed to 1.0 per cent in July, from 1.1 per cent in June, with in-store promotions close to an all time high.

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Retail employment, or the total number of hours worked, rose 1.8 per cent in the second quarter of 2012, the equivalent of 12,648 more full-time jobs. The latest report from the BRC-Bond Pearce Retail Employment Monitor (REM) compared results to the same quarter in 2011, finding a lift in employment driven by food retailers keen to take on extra members of staff with the summer games and Jubilee celebrations.

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Scottish shop sales rose by 1.2 per cent in June compared to figures a year before, although according to the figures released by the Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) like-for-like sales showed no sign of growth. According to the BBC, it’s the 15th consecutive month that Scottish sales growth had fallen behind the UK as a whole, although the discrepancy had narrowed for June.

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Strong headway made in non-fashion lines were dragged down by struggling homewares sales for June 2012. The latest figures from the BDO High Street Sales Tracker show spending continued to grow throughout June, with like-for-like sales across medium-sized chains up 1.1 per cent compared to last year.

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Finally some good news for Gap Inc, as the apparel giant reported a 2 per cent rise in comparable sales for June. Over the five weeks to 30 June 2012, net sales came were USD 1.41 billion, compared with USD 1.38 billion for the same period a year before. Gap noted that its comparable sales for June 2012 were flat compared with a 1 per cent increase for June 2011.

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One in three shoppers have said they will shop at Aldi and Lidl this year, as middle class consumers look to cut down the price of their weekly shop. The latest figures from IGD’s ShopperVista research show intention to shop at Aldi and Lidl currently stands at its highest level since the poll began in 2010.

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