Food sales dramatically countered the trend to become the forerunner of UK sales as the British Retail Consortium (BRC) reported the worst December since its survey began 14 years ago.

UK retail sales values fell 3.3 per on a like-for-like basis, and 1.4 per cent on a total basis, from December 2007 but food and footwear were the only sectors to show sales up on a year ago.

Christmas buying came later than usual and there were more shopping days in Christmas week this year and shoppers tended to wait for discounts and early clearance sales.

Food sales did slow again, to show their weakest growth since March. Nevertheless, they remained the main driver of overall sales which were still inflated by high food prices, though food inflation has slowed.

Shoppers sought out special offers and discounts and value ranges did well but some people also treated themselves to special Christmas food and drink.

Some noted a shift to basic groceries and ingredients as people saved money by cooking from scratch rather than buying readymeals. The very cold weather drove sales for meat and vegetables, soups and puddings.

Non-food non-store sales in December were 30 per cent higher than a year ago. This was stronger than the 16.6 per cent gain in November, as people were more confident about Christmas shopping online and several stores had later last order dates than last Christmas.

Growth in non-food non-store sales picked up in December to show a year-on-year gain of 30 per cent from 9.5 per cent in November and 16.6 per cent in October.

Stephen Robertson, director general of the BRC, said: “These are truly dreadful numbers. Some retailers were more successful than others and the second half of December was better than the first. But overall the food sector was almost the only one to show growth.

“And even this was at the slowest rate since last March. Footwear was the only other sector where sales were up on a year ago. Otherwise, non-food retailers had a torrid December despite a blizzard of promotions and deals, which would have hit margins. Many hard-pressed customers couldn’t be seduced into spending.

“This is no time for the Government to be piling new burdens on a major job-supporting sector such as retailing. For example, its plans to push retailers' business rates bills up by £1.6 billion over the next two years urgently needs revising."

Helen Dickinson, head of Retail at KPMG, said: "December's performance has historically set the scene for the year ahead, so the outlook is indeed bleak. In a business environment where cash is even more important than ever, due to the impact of the 'credit crunch', retailers did all they could in December to keep the money coming in, raising discounts across the month to unprecedented levels.

“That this was the worst December sales performance since the survey began 14 years ago is testament to the severity of the shift in mentality of the consumer. Although the food sector continues to hold up, most non-food retailers are having to manage the 'double whammy' of falling sales and falling margins and this doesn't look like changing any time soon."

Shoppers used the internet much more this Christmas as they have become more confident about ordering online, appreciating the convenience of shopping from home and trusting payment security.

They also felt more relaxed about ordering later and confident of delivery before Christmas. Several stores moved their last order dates nearer Christmas this year, which no doubt helped last-minute shoppers.

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