Drunk on golden memories of the Olympics – but reality will still make its sobering return August 12, 2012 SOMETIMES it’s best to start with a confession: here’s mine. Apparently I’ve been at work the last two weeks but frankly I don’t remember. The only thing I remember is the kaleidoscopic haze of an amazing party called London 2012. There was a brief moment last week when the dancing stopped to change the music. [...]
Summer sun and Olympic fever fail to reignite UK’s retail sales August 6, 2012 RETAIL sales failed to significantly recover last month despite improved weather and the start of the London 2012 Olympic Games, figures from the industry have revealed this morning. Like-for-like sales in UK shops were virtually flat in July, edging up just 0.1 per cent compared to a year earlier, according to the British Retail Consortium [...]
LONDON WEEK AHEAD August 5, 2012 UK economics will be in the sspotlight this week, with the rrelease of the Bank of England inflation report, UK Trade Balance, the Producer Price Index and BRC Retail Sales Monitor. Results are expected today from Catlin Group, Morgan Sindall and Telecity Group, while in the US Chesapeake Energy is set to reveal figures. EasyJet [...]
Inflation eases in British shops July 31, 2012 PRICES in Britain’s shops rose just one per cent in July compared to the previous year, dragged down by the brakes being hit on food inflation. Food prices increased 3.1 per cent annualised in July, the British Retail Consortium announced this morning, a less severe rise than the 3.5 per cent recorded in June. Overall [...]
Prices are the only thing growing as crops feel the heat July 30, 2012 WHILE the UK has spent most of 2012 soaked to the bone, wondering when summer was going to gift us some rays of sunshine, on the other side of the Atlantic – specifically the key growing region in the US Midwest corn belt – they have been experiencing quite the opposite. Wiltingly hot temperatures in [...]
Relief for squeezed households as inflation drops at long last July 30, 2012 WAGE growth will soon start outstripping inflation, at last giving a boost to confidence and the economy, according to a Deloitte report out today. But the impact will be muted for now as households remain cautious because of the weak state of the economy. Just 13 per cent of consumers expect to spend more on [...]
Finsbury Food sales up to £207m July 24, 2012 Bakery goods maker Finsbury Food yesterday posted a 9.4 per cent leap in sales to £207m for the year despite tough market conditions and price inflation in key ingredients such as eggs and sugar. Its cake division enjoyed a 9.2 per cent jump in sales while its bread and free from division grew 10 per [...]
Deep discounts mitigate sharp retail sales fall July 19, 2012 RETAILERS were hit by bad weather in June, as consumers bought less food to barbecue and spent less than expected on the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, according to data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) yesterday. The ONS’s retail sales index inched up 0.1 per cent by volume in June, compared to May, but [...]
After inflation fell to 2.4 per cent in June, is the risk of deflation now of greater concern? July 17, 2012 YES Victoria Redwood Inflation is heading rapidly back towards its target and, by the end of the year, it should be close to just 1 per cent. Indeed, the UK has more to fear from the risk of deflation than a renewed spike in inflation. The temporary factors that have supported inflation have waned and [...]
Inflation falls in June July 17, 2012 Inflation fell to its lowest in more than two and a half years in June helped by early summer sales of clothes and shoes, official data showed on Tuesday, suggesting consumers will be able to spend more and give a rare helping hand to the economy. The Office for National Statistics said annual consumer price [...]