Four years of austerity have knocked demand on the head.
According to the British Retail Consortium, last year's warm weather knocked demand for autumn clothes in the UK, leaving retailers to suffer their worst sales performance of the year.
The poll of 458 companies echoes other reports of manufacturers curbing investment and production as a downturn in China and other export markets knocks demand.
People will be feeling pretty silly come January when America Express comes a-knocking, demanding 8,000 percent interest on that iPod touch you bought.
"Every office job lost knocks off demand for 180 square feet.
It's no surprise that spring merchandise is less appealing to customers facing widespread winter storms, and that warmer weather is knocking the demand for autumnal clothes.
"Knock it off," demanded Mayor Charlie Luken, even as he conceded there were "very legitimate" concerns over police killings of 15 black male suspects in six years.
It had also been knocked by falling demand for Nokia and Blackberry-branded handsets that used its technology.
Saints were forced to move the two fixtures to Milton Keynes last season because Franklin's Gardens does not meet Heineken Cup regulations that demand knock-out games are played in grounds with a minimum attendance of 15,000.
Salvini has seen little need to tone down his rhetoric; on Wednesday, he knocked back a demand from the African Union for an apology after he likened African immigrants to "new slaves" last week, prompting criticism from Luxembourg that he was acting like "the fascists from the '30s".
