Wettest February on record leads to poor month for retail March 5, 2024 New figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) showed that retail sales increased 1.1 per cent in the year to February, down from 5.2 per cent last year and below the three-month average of 1.4 per cent.
More misery for retail as footfall slips to lowest level since pandemic on wet weather and strikes March 1, 2024 Unpredictable British weather has yet again been blamed for hurting trade on UK high streets. According to a report by the British Retail Consortium (BRC), footfall recorded in February slumped to the lowest since the pandemic, falling 9.3 per cent against a 2.3 per cent decline the prior month. Some 23mm of rain fell across [...]
Merry Clickmas: UK shoppers splashed £24bn online over festive season January 8, 2024 Christmas shoppers in the UK filled their carts with more than £24bn in online spending over the festive season, fresh data has revealed.
Shop price inflation stays steady but obstacles to come in 2024 January 2, 2024 Shop price annual inflation stayed flat at 4.3 per cent in December, remaining at the lowest level growth seen since June 2022.
Early-morning queues mark arrival of Boxing Day sales on Oxford Street December 26, 2023 Shoppers are expected to pack out high streets across the UK looking for bargain buys in the Boxing Day sales.
Youths ‘film shoplifting for TikTok’ as businesses call for government aid September 16, 2023 Shoplifting and abuse at independent shops are increasing due to the cost-of-living crisis and youths filming it for TikTok, forcing some businesses to close, it has been said. Muntazir Dipoti, president of the Federation of Independent Retailers (FIR), which has 10,500 members, said 850 incidents of theft or verbal abuse are recorded every day. Incidents [...]
Retailers urge rethink on net zero ‘grocery tax’ as public blame Brexit for rising costs June 4, 2023 Top retailers have urged the government to rethink plans for green levies to fund the recycling of food packaging in a bid to avoid a further rise in spiralling food costs. The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has warned the scheme, dubbed the ‘net zero grocery tax’, could push up shopping bills by up to £4bn [...]
Europe capitalising on UK’s ‘tourism tax’ as retailers call for overhaul May 24, 2023 International tourists are spending more in Europe than in the UK as Britain’s retail sector continues to be hamstrung by the government’s decision to scrap VAT-free shopping, members of the House of Lords warned yesterday.
Could Mega May save retail? Hopes are riding high on King’s coronation and bumper May Day bank holiday boost April 21, 2023 Could the coronation of King Charles III help lift the UK’s post-Covid retail industry? Our retail reporter Laura McGuire finds out. March has proved to be another challenging month for the retail industry as sales fell 0.9 per cent due to soaring living costs and the third wettest March in history. However, with Royal celebrations [...]