Tesco and Boots lead 100,000 jobs pledge to tackle Neets crisis September 8, 2026 Tesco, Boots and dozens of other retailers have pledged to create 100,000 new jobs in a bid to tackle the youth unemployment crisis, which they say is trapping young people in a “doom loop”. A group of top high street firms – which also includes Asda, John Lewis and Marks & Spencer – have joined [...]
Retailers call for ‘lifeline’ from Healey as cooler weather fails to boost footfall September 4, 2026 Britain’s retailers have called for a “lifeline” from the Chancellor John Healey after footfall fell again in August despite cooler temperatures. Total footfall in the UK fell by 1.7 per cent year on year last month, according to data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC). Though shopping traffic fell at a slower rate than July’s [...]
Retailers urge Healey to unwind national insurance hike to boost jobs September 3, 2026 Retailers have called on Chancellor John Healey to unwind some of the national insurance reforms made by his predecessor in a bid to tackle the youth joblessness crisis. The British Retail Consortium (BRC), which represents retailers including Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Marks & Spencer, has written to the Chancellor, urging him to unwind “soaring employment costs”. [...]
Supermarkets ‘actively shielding’ shoppers as food inflation falls again August 19, 2026 Food inflation fell again in July to its lowest level in nearly five years, as retailers claim they are “actively shielding” consumers from worse price rises. The rate of food price inflation slipped to 1.3 per cent last month, down from 1.7 per cent in June, to reach the lowest point since September 2021. Industry [...]
Burnham’s crackdown on ‘price-gouging’ splits supermarkets August 17, 2026 Tesco and Sainsbury’s have stood firm after the boss of Aldi hit out at loyalty discounts, as a “price-gouging” row threatens to divide British supermarkets. Giles Hurley, the chief executive of the discount grocer, has backed the government’s plans to clamp down on retailers which offer “misleading” discounts which do not offer real-terms value. Aldi [...]
Aldi boss wades into supermarket ‘price-gouging’ row August 16, 2026 The boss of Aldi has waded into the bitter row over whether supermarkets are profiteering off of struggling customers as he backed a government crackdown on “rip-off” discounts. Giles Hurley, the chief executive of the discount grocer, said the government is “right” to take on misleading discounts and promotions “in their work to tackle cost [...]
Labour’s ‘chaotic’ zero-hour crackdown could cost firms £3bn per year August 12, 2026 Labour’s ‘chaotic’ crackdown on zero-hour contracts could cost businesses nearly £3bn every year, though firms have warned the real cost could spiral even higher. The cost of the new rules, which include offering guaranteed-hour contracts to flexible employees and paying workers for cancelled shifts, has been revealed in a government impact assessment. The reforms could [...]
Brits think supermarkets are profiteering – despite slowing food inflation August 12, 2026 The majority of Brits think that supermarkets are profiteering from rising food prices caused by the Iran war despite the Chancellor John Healey recently admitting there was little evidence of the practice, new polling has revealed. Some 70 per cent of UK voters believe that supermarkets are making “excessive” profits from food inflation, according to [...]
Retailers hit back at Healey’s ‘profiteering’ threat August 3, 2026 Retailers have hit back at the Chancellor’s warning against profiteering, saying they will prove they have fought hard to keep food prices down during the Iran war. Chancellor John Healey said at the weekend that the Treasury is prepared to crack down on any retailers which are taking Brits “for a ride” by using the [...]
Retailers urge Burnham to slash tax and back youth employment July 16, 2026 Retailers have called on Andy Burnham to slash their taxes and help them to employ young people in a raft of demands for the Prime Minister-to-be. The British Retail Consortium (BRC), a trade body representing the UK’s biggest retailers, has urged Burnham to “buy into retail” as part of his pledge to back local communities [...]