The zero rating of e-books is welcome at time when more people are reading on line, but not all e-publications will benefit, say leading tax and advisory firm Blick Rothenberg. Alan Pearce, VAT partner at the firm said: “This has been brought forward due to the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic and the current lockdown requiring […]
The CBI’s monthly Distributive Trades Survey (conducted between 27 March 2020 and 15 April 2020) reveals that retailers expect a similar pace of decline in annual next month – the weakest expectations in survey history. Orders placed on suppliers in the year to April also fell sharply, with a similar decline expected next month. Retail […]
Period covered: 01 – 07 April 202 Shop prices fell by 1.7% in April compared to a 0.8% decrease in March. This is below the 12- and 6-month average price decreases of 0.4% and 0.7%, respectively. This is the highest rate of decline since January 2017. Non-food prices fell sharply by 3.7% in April compared […]
Dame Sharon White, the chairman of the John Lewis Partnership, is currently looking at new retail opportunities beyond the department store and Waitrose Food Halls. This is as sales across the group are predicted to drop by 35% in 2020 under a worst-case scenario forecast, and 14,000 staff have been furloughed in the last two […]
Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking Business Barometer. The steep decline illustrates the impact the measures to contain the pandemic is having on UK businesses. (See chart 1). The results, which surveyed businesses between 31 March – 16 April 2020, reflect a significant drop in both trading prospects and economic optimism. The survey showed that current trading […]
Know the Origin sells ethically sourced clothing for men and women, as well as environmentally conscious living products such as bamboo toothbrushes to help people live plastic free. The business was founded two years ago by Charlotte Instone after she discovered that 93% of fashion houses are unaware of where their fabrics come from. Charlotte […]
Research has revealed that a colossal 92% of UK adults have changed their shopping habits due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with e-commerce emerging as retail’s biggest lockdown driver. We’re shopping more online during working hours than previously (13%), with a quarter of Brits (25%) across all age ranges understandably buying items online they’d previously bought […]
On 23 March, the government stepped up measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus, including the temporary closure of all business premises deemed non-essential. Essential retailers, such as pharmacies, DIY shops and supermarkets, and those trading online have been transforming their business practices to protect staff and customers. This includes implementing social distancing measures inside […]
Today’s Office of National Statistics (ONS) retail sales estimates for March have confirmed dire forecasts for the future of the High Street. The UK home delivery specialist ParcelHero predicted on 4 March, three weeks before the lockdown, that the coronavirus outbreak would result in online sales snatching a record amount of the overall retail market. […]
Food and drink businesses defied an overall drop in UK exports during the first quarter of 2020 as supply chain disruption and international efforts to combat coronavirus hit overseas sales of goods and services, according to the Lloyds Bank International Trade Index. The Index, compiled in partnership with IHS Markit saw UK manufacturing exports fall […]
