Cryptic crossword clue
Commercial activity suffering after return cut by 50 per cent 9

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word RETAILING

I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
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Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Commercial activity" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case commercial activity = retailing.
The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.
This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.

What does RETAILING mean?

RETAILING verb
  1. To sell at retail, or in small quantities directly to customers.
  2. To sell secondhand, or in broken parts.
  3. To repeat or circulate (news or rumours) to others.
RETAILING noun
  1. The business of selling directly to the consumer; retail.

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