January sales blighted by snow and ice as out of town malls be come another white spot on the map. Local stores are benefiting from the weather but only for food / groceries.

The outlook for retailing for the 12 months ahead is said to be "very tough" in store despite reporting robust Christmas sales figures, the head of the industry's trade body has warned. Stephen Robertson, the director general of the British Retail Consortium, predicted no growth in consumer spending over 2010 and indicated the recent glut of positive updates from the festive season may represent a false dawn.

"There will be increasing consumer uncertainty and we will see consumer confidence dropping. There will be tough sales and perhaps no growth," he told the Sunday Telegraph. Echoing comments from retail bosses including Marks & Spencer's Sir Stuart Rose, Mr Robertson warned of the impact of tax rises and highlighted evidence that households were choosing to save more. He said many homeowners were also coming to the end of fixed-rate mortgage deals.

Lower interest rates boosted spending last year despite average earnings growth excluding bonuses of just 1.7%. Retail figure updates this week are expected from Primark, Home Retail Group, which owns Argos and Homebase. Halfords, Mothercare, HMV, Dunelm, Topps Tiles, Debenhams and Currys owner DSG International are also expected to reveal figures.

Keep an eye on our latest news section as we bring you the winners and losers of the festive season.