Next eyes Russell & Bromley deal Retail The high street giant Next is reportedly considering making an offer to invest in Russell & Bromley, the shoe retailer that said it was looking for a fresh cash injection. It has been reported that the FTSE 100 company is among several possible parties interested in investing in the smaller retail brand. It is unclear [...]
Black Friday boost fails to materialise for Britain’s high streets Retail UK retail sales failed to meet shops’ expectations this Black Friday as pre-budget jitters dampened spending. Retail sales increased by 1.4 per cent year on year in November, against a decline of 3.3 per cent in November 2024 and below the 12-month average growth of 2.5 per cent, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC). [...]
Retailers hit by subdued October as Budget threat looms Retail UK retailers suffered a “subdued” October as Brits tightened their pockets ahead of what is expected to be a tax-heavy Autumn Budget. Retail sales increased 1.6 per cent year-on-year but remained below the 12-month average of 2.1 per cent, marking the weakest growth since May. The new data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and [...]
‘Hard to accept’: Small firms round on energy intensive subsidies October 8, 2025 So-called standing charges are going up by as much as 94 per cent for all businesses bar the most energy intensive come April. Many are up in arms, writes Ali Lyon Even businesses like Michael Morris’s Beachcomber Amusements – a traditional arcade that treats guests in the small Fife town of Leven to games of [...]
‘Packaging tax’ to force further price rises October 1, 2025 UK businesses will be forced to pass the vast majority of costs incurred by a new packaging tax onto consumers, in a move that will stoke already rampant food inflation and compound financial pressures on hard-pressed households. According to fresh figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC), retailers plan to pass over 80 per cent [...]
Autumn tax hikes would lead to inflation over five per cent ‘well into next year’ September 23, 2025 Food inflation will rise and remain above five per cent well into 2026 if the retail industry is hit by further tax rises at the Autumn Budget, a leading lobby group has warned. The British Retail Consortium (BRC) said that the government risks ‘losing the battle’ against inflation if business rates on large shops rise [...]
Exclusive: Industry chiefs urge MPs to accept workers’ rights amendments July 26, 2025 Seven of Britain’s most influential industry bodies have urged MPs to accept an array of House of Lords amendments to the government’s workers’ rights package, warning the overhaul is already having a “chilling” impact on jobs and the economy. The cohort of heavyweight lobby groups – which includes all the so-called ‘Big Five’ business bodies [...]
Alarm bells as retail sales suffer largest fall in 18 months June 20, 2025 UK high streets suffered from post-Easter fatigue among shoppers as official data showed retail sales dropped by 2.7 per cent in May. The Office for National Statistics said a fall in sales in May represented the largest month-on-month drop since December 2023. A Bloomberg poll of economists expected retail sales to drop by 0.5 per [...]
Our economy remains in a perilous state June 12, 2025 With the long-awaited Spending Review, the UK Chancellor finally gets to reveal the goodies rather than simply be the baddie. But there will be one question lurking behind every line item, behind every pound pledged and every Treasury footnote: how are you going to pay for it?
Labour tax hikes drive steepest fall in retail sentiment since Covid May 27, 2025 British retailers’ confidence has made the steepest dive in five years, after facing pressures from Rachel Reeves’ £26bn employer tax raid and uncertainty sparked by Donald Trump’s trade war. The drop is the most severe since the Covid-19 pandemic paralysed the UK high street, according to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI). Grim sentiment in [...]