Christmas shopping gets off to slow start According to data from the British Retail Consortium and accountancy firm KPMG, like-for-like retail sales rose 0.4pc in November compared with last year. However, this was against weak comparatives because November 2011 saw a shock 1.6pc drop in sales. Stephen Robertson, director-general of the BRC, said: "Overall, the emphasis continued to be on value with consumers looking at lower priced gifts. The same caution hit online sales, which delivered their third worst performance of the year. With consumers conscious that there will be a full shopping weekend immediately before Christmas, retailers are holding their nerve and counting on a last minute rush in the crucial final weeks. Visa predicted that £320m would be spent online on Mega Monday, December 3, which is expected to be the busiest ever day of online shopping in the UK. One of Britain's busiest shopping centres also gave hope to the retail industry. Bluewater in Kent said footfall was up 2.6pc last weekend compared with last year.