Retailers slash 84,000 jobs amid storm of rising costs and fierce competition January 26, 2017 Retailer shed an estimated 84,000 jobs in the final quarter of 2016 as the industry heads for what could be a “more profound” shake-out than it experienced after the financial crisis. New figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) show the number of jobs in the sector fell three per cent year-on-year in the final [...]
Food and drink representatives want special protections for their EU workers guaranteed in Brexit negotiations December 9, 2016 Food prices will rise if EU workers employed in the food and drinks industry are forced to leave, representatives of the sector today warned. More than 30 food and drink bodies came together to call on the government to give "unambiguous reassurance" to EU workers they can stay and work in the UK after Article [...]
Latest ONS data expected to show inflation at 1.5 per cent January 15, 2017 Data released by the Office for National Statistics this week is likely to show an uptick in inflation, a sign that the fall in the value of the pound is having an impact on prices. An inflation rate of 1.5 per cent in the consumer prices index for December would be a significant increase on [...]
#Marmitegate: Tesco boss warns suppliers against hiking prices November 18, 2016 Tesco's chief executive Dave Lewis has told suppliers not to up prices due to sterling's slide following the Brexit vote. Lewis recently went to war with Unilever after the supplier tried to increase the price of popular goods such as Marmite and PG Tips by 10 per cent. Read more: Marmite peace settlement sends Tesco to the [...]
Top industry groups hit out at proposed changes to business rates November 21, 2016 A group of industry lobby groups has hit out at Treasury proposals to prevent small firms from appealing against business rates up to a certain level. Research by Daniel Watney LLP and Blackstock Consulting, using official government data, found the changes could cost small firms in England more than £700m over the next five years. [...]
Black Friday wasn’t quite the sales boost retailers may have expected December 6, 2016 Black Friday wasn't quite the spending boom that retailers were expecting. Figures from KPMG and the British Retail Consortium (BRC) show that like-for-like UK retail sales increased 0.6 per cent in November. Read more: Piccadilly Line delays likely to continue until after Christmas, TfL admits And, although non-food sales increased around 40 per cent on [...]
Grocery prices were flat in October as Brexit-related price inflation was beaten by the supermarket price war November 2, 2016 Grocery prices were flat in October despite inflationary pressures from the fall in sterling, according to new figures. Analysis by website MySupermarket found that a basket of 35 key groceries cost £83.40, compared to £83.19 the month before. Read more: So Moneysupermarket? Comparison site is on track for a "record year" Annually, the price of the full [...]
Cost of the Christmas shop will be lower than it was three years ago December 5, 2016 Despite the worries about rising prices post-Brexit, the family Christmas shop is set to be cheaper this year than it was three years ago. Figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Nielsen showed that shop prices fell 1.7 per cent in November; the same level of deflation reported the month before. Read more: Chilly weather's [...]
Network Rail reveals huge growth in retail sales at London’s railway stations November 25, 2016 Retail sales at London's railway stations have grown at a titanic 17 times the high-street average, despite the number of passengers visiting them remaining the same. Sales during the three months since Britain's vote to leave the EU grew at 3.7 per cent across Network Rail's 10 London stations. This compares with high-street growth of just [...]
Retail sector shows signs of strengthening as shoppers return to the high street November 14, 2016 Retailers saw footfall drop in October, but at a slower rate than the previous month, as shoppers headed to the high street despite the lure of online shopping. Springboard UK’s latest figures showed a less severe fall last month compared to September. Read more: Christmas adverts rated: Which retailer has made the best ad of 2016? “The slight [...]