Responding to the latest ONS jobs figures, which show 3.042m jobs in retail, up 1,000 year-on-year, Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium, said: “UK retail gained 1,000 jobs as compared with Q1 2020, though this includes over half a million workers on furlough at the time. The year-on-year rise also reflects the […]
Today, leading global payment service provider, emerchantpay, publishes the first instalment of its New World, One Market Report, a new research study examining consumer behaviour when it comes to post-pandemic payment preferences. Chapter One of the study reveals that the national shift to digital payments, which has been dramatically accelerated due to the Covid-19 pandemic, […]
2020 was a turbulent year in which much of retail bounced between being open and closed, significantly impacting sales and the ability to make meaningful comparisons. In this context, all 2021 figures are compared with 2019 (pre-pandemic). This means our 2021 figures are now year-on-two-years (Yo2Y), rather than year-on-year (YoY). Covering the four weeks 2 […]
Covering the four weeks 2 – 29 May 2021 2020 was a turbulent year in which much of retail bounced between being open and closed, impacting footfall significantly. To make meaningful comparisons to changes in footfall, all 2021 figures are compared with 2019 (pre-pandemic). This means our 2021 figures are now year-on-two-years (Yo2Y), rather than […]
Period Covered: 03 – 07 May 2021 Shop prices fell by 0.6% year-on-year in May, a slower decline than April’s decrease of 1.3%. This is below the 12- and 6-month average price decreases of 1.7% and 1.8%, respectively. This is the slowest rate of decline since February 2020. Non-food deflation continued to slow in May, […]
On 30 June 2021 the moratorium on aggressive debt collection from commercial landlords will end, opening up thousands of retailers to legal action. With many retailers closed for large periods during the last fifteen months, many have accrued huge debts that they are only just beginning to be able to pay. Total rent debt is […]
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has today published its 2021 Retail Crime Survey, which highlights the scale of violence and abuse faced by retail staff. The survey shows there were 455 incidents of violence or abuse each day in 2019/20, up 7% from 2018/19. The findings also show that the total cost to retailers of […]
Responding to the latest ONS Retail Sales Index figures, which showed an 35.7% year-on-year increase in overall sales (non-seasonally adjusted retail sales excluding fuel: J3L2), Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium, said: “The ongoing easing of coronavirus restrictions has meant a second month of sales growth, offering a welcome boost for thousands […]
As the last Debenham’s store closes its doors this week a major chapter in retail history also concludes. Although the name lives on as one of Boohoo’s expanding range of brand names there will be no more physical presence. Retail expert Dr Gordon Fletcher of the University of Salford Business School looks back at the […]
LDC breathes life back into the high street, demonstrating the way forward is fluid, innovative landlord partnerships and re-imaged retail spaces. 2020 was a challenging year for the economy, with several of the 6,0001 net store closures in the first half of the year. This number was a record high compared with 3,509 closures in […]
