The EU is the UK’s largest trading partner and the source of a huge amount of the goods we buy. Four-fifths of UK food imports come from the EU and EU imports also play a key role in the supply chains for fashion, homeware, and other retail sectors. The BRC launched its “A Fair Deal […]
The ongoing pandemic has created an unprecedented challenge for the retail industry. Now, three weeks after shops opened in England and Northern Ireland, footfall remains down by half compared with the previous year. According to the ONS, during April and May, non-food stores lost an average of £1.6bn in sales per week*. This drop in […]
Despite the reopening of the majority of high street stores, the UK courier expert ParcelHero says demand for home deliveries has now become evergreen, with seasonal peaks and troughs a thing of the past. ParcelHero’s head of consumer research, David Jinks MILT, explains: ‘Contrary to many analysts’ expectations, parcel deliveries and e-commerce sales have continued […]
Shops in England reopened 15th June, in Northern Ireland 12th June, in Scotland (mostly) 29th June, and in Wales 22nd June. UK footfall decreased 49.6% year on year during the third week of reopening in England and NI. This compares to a decrease of 53.4% year on year for the previous week. Footfall on high […]
The government is reportedly considering a reduction to the rate of VAT to encourage people to spend more. But, says accountants and business advisers Kreston Reeves, EU regulations will limit the Chancellor’s hand. Rupert Moyle, a partner and head of VAT at Kreston Reeves explains: “As we all know, the standard rate of VAT is […]
Four in ten UK shoppers (38%) abandon a purchase at least once a week, with a fifth (21%) claiming to do so more regularly. That’s according to new research by Klarna and BigCommerce, published today with a call for retailers to prioritise shoppers’ most fundamental needs for the sake of their bottom line as the […]
The BRC and Opinium have been working together to track consumer behaviours and their sentiment towards coronavirus. This research has run weekly since 1st May 2020, with the latest survey taking place between 26-29 June 2020. Public perceptions of retail staff has improved since the pandemic began. 35% saying their views of retail staff has […]
Period Covered: 01-05 June 2020 Shop prices fell by 1.6% in June compared to a decrease of 2.4% in May. This is below the 12- and 6-month average price decreases of 0.8% and 1.2%, respectively. Non-food prices fell by 3.4% in June compared to a decline of 4.6% in May. This is below the 12-and […]
Climate change remains one of the biggest threats to our planet and society. Despite currently facing the ongoing challenges of coronavirus head on, retailers are making a bold pledge to fight climate change and build a better world for everyone. Twenty major retailers have today signed a declaration to develop a roadmap to tackle the […]
The re-opening of shops provided a much-needed relief for retailers in the last two weeks, as the number of companies with a negative assessment of trading conditions plummeted from more than half (54%) to 37%, according to the latest Opinium-Cebr Business Distress Tracker. However, the overall business picture remains uncertain, and a third (35%) of […]
