Retail sector pins hopes on King’s coronation to lift sales April 12, 2023 Shoppers put cost of living fears behind them as they splashed out on Mother Day gifts in March, helping to slightly boost retail sales, but damp weather and soaring inflation has left the sector holding out for the King’s coronation in May to see a “larger uptick” in sales. According to data by the British [...]
Netflix and starve: Cash strapped Brits cut back on groceries and spend more on TV subscriptions April 11, 2023 Cash strapped Brits have cut back on grocery shopping and dining out last month, but spent more on streaming services services Netflix. Consumer card spending grew just 4.0 per cent year-on-year in March, less than half of the latest inflation rate of 9.2 per cent, as the cost of living crisis drives consumers to cut [...]
Brits embrace ‘value’ fun as Hollywood Bowl’s revenue up 11 per cent and outlook raised April 11, 2023 Bowling operator Hollywood Bowl has lifted its outlook for the rest of the year after a 11 per cent increase in revenue, as Brits turned to the affordable activity in the cost of living crisis. The leisure business, which operates across the UK and Canada, said group revenue in the six months to March 2023 [...]
Cost of living fears outweigh mental health and climate change as biggest concern for parents – poll April 7, 2023 Fears about the cost of living outweigh those of mental health, climate change, social media and bullying for a third of UK parents, a survey suggests. Almost a quarter of parents (24 per cent ) said finances and savings were a key concern for their children’s futures but just 9 per cent said they were [...]
Every little helps: Loyalty cards determining over half of Brits’ shopping choices amid cost of living crisis April 4, 2023 Some 54 per cent of Brits said that price discounts via loyalty cards were most likely to encourage them to buy a product as the cost of living crisis spurs shoppers to hunt for the best bargains. According to data by NIQ, a further 35 per cent of consumers said that a ‘special price discount’ [...]
Recession fears see Brits stock up on own-brand kitchen staples April 3, 2023 THE COST of living crisis is beginning to be felt in the pockets of ordinary punters – with more than one in three turning towards own brand products to keep the kitchen cupboard stocked. New research from KPMG suggests more than half of UK consumers have reduced ‘non-essential’ spending amid recession fears, with eating out top of [...]
Broadband, mobile bills and council tax rises threaten ‘awful April’ for householders already facing cost of living crisis March 31, 2023 Households battling the cost of living crisis are facing an onslaught of price hikes that could leave the average family hundreds of pounds a year worse off. From April 1, millions of people will face increases to their broadband, mobile, water and council tax bills. Most local authorities are putting up council tax by 5 [...]
Can online favourite Ocado make a comeback, or will its share price sink lower? March 28, 2023 Ocado’s share price fell nearly six per cent in afternoon trade as the “magic” of the online retailer’s venture with Marks and Spencer did little to buoy the confidence of investors In its start of year trading update Ocado revealed that retail revenue grew slightly by 3.4 per cent, although a 7.5 per cent decrease [...]
UK suffering worst living standards squeeze on record, OBR boss warns March 26, 2023 Brits’ spending power won’t recover to pre-pandemic levels for another half decade, the boss of the UK’s economic watchdog has warned. The UK is experiencing the “biggest squeeze on living standards we’ve faced in this country on record”, Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) chairman Richard Hughes said today. His stark warning came after the regulator’s [...]
Cost of living crisis: Inflation sees Brits take a real-terms pay cut yet again March 14, 2023 British workers’ wages have been eroded by sky high inflation for the 15th month in a row despite them bagging bumper pay rises, official figures out today show. Real regular pay, which measures pay growth in cash terms minus inflation, fell on a monthly basis in January, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). [...]