2023 was a challenging year for consumers, with the ONS showing that retail sales volumes fell by 2.8% on the previous year, only a slight improvement on the 3.9% drop in 2022. Retail volumes are now lower than they were in 2019. This matters. Retail is the ‘everywhere economy’, with a presence in every village, […]
High streets are iconic thoroughfares at the heart of many communities and have long held a special place in the hearts of the British public. However, in recent years, they have faced unprecedented challenges, from Covid, the cost-of-living crisis to the rise of online retail. In light of this, Legal & General conducted a survey […]
Sales figures are not adjusted for inflation. Given that both the December SPI (BRC) and November CPI (ONS) show inflation running at higher than normal levels, the rise in sales masked a likely drop in volumes once inflation is accounted for. Like-for-like data has been moved from the bullets to the tables at the bottom. […]
The UK’s small retailers plan to invest in new technology in the year ahead as part of strategies to drive business growth and improve customer experience, according to the latest research from American Express. Asked about how they planned to safeguard their business this year, the survey of independent retail and hospitality business owners found […]
Covering the five weeks 26 November – 30 December 2023 According to BRC-Sensormatic IQ data: Total UK footfall decreased by 5.0% in December (YoY), down from -0.7% in November. High Street footfall decreased by 4.2% in December (YoY), down from -1.7% in November. Retail Parks footfall decreased by 4.8% in December (YoY), down from -1.0% […]
New research by Geek Retreat, the geek culture retailer, gaming café, community hub and events venue, shows that 15% of Brits have set up their own business in the past ten years, and of these, 44% did so in the last three years. The findings also show that more women (52%) have started their own […]
The UK’s small retailers plan to invest in new technology in the year ahead as part of strategies to drive business growth and improve customer experience, according to the latest research from American Express. Asked about how they planned to safeguard their business this year, the survey of independent retail and hospitality business owners found […]
Responding to the latest CPI inflation figures which show headline inflation falling to 3.9% and food inflation falling 0.9 percentage points to 9.2%. Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium, said: “Inflation continued to fall as fierce competition between retailers helped hold down prices for consumers. With the eighth consecutive fall in food […]
Three leading trade bodies and seven food retailers are calling for urgent action to reform the broken Apprenticeship Levy system and address the “critical and persistent” labour shortages in our food supply chains. In a letter sent to the government, the British Retail Consortium (BRC), the National Farmers Union (NFU) and UKHospitality (UKH), along with […]
As cash payments in the UK rise for the first time in a decade, payments technology and solutions provider Monavate has worked with e-commerce payments innovator Kasssh and recently launched a trailblazing cash payment solution for online shoppers in the UK. E-commerce operators can now tap the previously unaddressable segment of UK consumers who favour […]
