Last checked at 
(Adds pound fall on Carney comments, Mitchells & Butlers and
graphic)
By Sarah Young and Kate Holton
LONDON, Jan 9 (Reuters) - A Christmas crunch inflicted
further pain on more British retailers on Thursday, with John
Lewis warning its staff they may not get a bonus for the first
time since 1953 as consumers changed shopping habits and the
economy struggled.
John Lewis flagged lower profits for its 2019 financial
year, while Tesco, Britain's biggest retailer, ground
out a 0.1% rise in underlying UK sales over Christmas, and Marks
& Spencer said waste in its food business and weak
menswear and gift sales held it back.
Industry data showed British shoppers cut back on spending
in late 2019, rounding off the worst year since at least the
mid-1990s for retail sales amid uncertainty over Brexit, last
month's election and slowing wage growth.
Instead of buying goods, consumers opted to spend on
experiences, data from payment card company Barclaycard showed.
Cinema ticket sales were up 19%, while spending in pubs and on
takeaway food rose by about 12%, the data showed.
Tesco said Prime Minister Boris Johnson's resounding
election victory in December, which broke the deadlock over
Britain leaving the European Union and lifted financial market
sentiment, had not released any pent-up demand.
Adding to worries that a pick-up may not materialise,
Sainsbury's, Britain's second largest supermarket, said
on Wednesday it hadn't seen any change in behaviour since the
nation went to the polls.
Concerns over the strength of the British economy are being
felt more widely and the pound fell to a near two-week low
against the U.S. dollar after Bank of England Governor Mark
Carney said that there could be a "relatively prompt response"
if it looked as though weakness will persist.
For employee-owned John Lewis Partnership, which runs the
eponymous department stores business and up-market supermarket
Waitrose, the prospect of not paying a bonus for the first time
since 1953 highlights how tough times are for some retailers.
Like rival department stores, John Lewis has been under
pressure for some time, and in March last year reported a 45%
drop in full-year profit, hurt by weak demand and rising costs.
BRIGHT SPOTS
It is not just the big guns suffering, with pain also being
felt among niche players such as British greeting card retailer
Card Factory, which said it expected lower annual
earnings, sending its shares down 17%.
Amid the gloom there have been some bright spots, with
homeware retailer Dunelm forecasting a near 20% jump in
earnings for the first half of its fiscal year, thanks to its
decision not to discount over the holiday season.
Dunelm's more upbeat outlook echoed British clothing
retailer Next, which last week raised its full-year
profit forecast after a better-than-expected Christmas.
And British pub and restaurant operator Mitchells & Butlers
also saw strong festive season sales, as more diners
opted for its pricier healthy menu options.
In an indication of how hard supermarkets had to work over
the festive period, Tesco said it had cut prices, delivered its
best operational performance in six years and seen its biggest
ever day of UK food sales.
Tesco, which has a 27.4% share of Britain's grocery market,
had also updated on trading in the third quarter period before
Christmas, when life-for-like sales fell by 0.4%.
And although M&S, one of the best known names in British
retail, said quarterly underlying sales for its overall UK
business rose for the first time since 2017, it was overshadowed
by "one-off issues", which knocked its shares 7.3% lower.
M&S said its full year forecast was unchanged, although
gross margins were expected to be around the lower end of its
range, largely offset by cost cuts.
(Additional reporting by Paul Sandle, James Davey, Tanishaa
Nadkar and Muvija M
Writing by Alexander Smith
Editing by Carmel Crimmins and David Goodman)
