High Fashion Puts Class Divide Back In Style

Shopkeeper after shopkeeper has blamed the “squeezed middle classes” for their woes in recent months. Focus DIY, Habitat, Carpetright, Comet – all have seen their fortunes hit by a swathe of consumers putting their wallets away.

A combination of a moribund housing market, rising fuel and food prices, nervousness about the jobs market, wage cuts or salary freezes and lower benefits have meant that many families are just not spending. Harry Wallop/The Telepgraph.