The uncertain global situation has made trading companies view the future even more bleakly, shows Svensk Handel's trade barometer.
The confidence in the future among both daily goods retailers and occasional goods retailers as well as wholesalers is plummeting in this month's measurement. Rising food prices and signs of declining sales are pulling down the figures.
"Apart from the low-conjuncture, it is obvious that the question of tariffs and their subsequent effects has created great unease among Swedish trading companies. Apart from risking to affect their own operations, we also receive ominous reports that consumers have become even more cautious, which does not bode well for the near future", says Sofia Larsen, CEO of Svensk Handel, in a press release.
It is now the 44th consecutive month that trade expresses pessimism about the future.
