Economy
The latest news, updates and analysis on the economy and how it is affecting the UK retail industry. Sign up to the Daily Briefing and let Retail Sector’s business journalists keep you in the picture.
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Jun- 2024 -12 June
Economy stalls in April due to wet weather
The UK economy stalled in April showing no growth as wet weather dampened consumer spending, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics. Monthly real gross domestic product (GDP) is estimated to have shown no growth in April 2024, following growth of 0.4% in March 2024. It…
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12 June
Euros to boost retail spending, BRC finds
England and Scotland’s involvement in this year’s euros are likely to net retailers a “vital” spending boost, according to polling from the British Retail Consortium. A new poll of 2,000 British shoppers suggests that the country’s love of football will translate into additional purchases. This will come after weak retail…
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4 June
UK retail sales improve by 0.7% in May
UK total retail sales increased by 0.7% year on year in May, against a growth of 3.9% in May 2023. This was above the 3-month average growth of 0.3% and below the 12-month average growth of 2.0%. Food sales increased 3.6% year on year over the three months to May,…
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May- 2024 -29 May
Retail sales recover as inflation slows, CBI finds
Retail sales grew at their fastest pace since December 2022 in the year to May, as sales volumes jumped 8% to -44%, according to the latest CBI Distributive Trades Survey. Furthermore, the CBI said it comes as selling price inflation in the retail sector “eased considerably” in May, from 20%…
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28 May
Shop price inflation returns to ‘normal levels’, BRC finds
Shop price annual inflation eased from 0.8% in April to 0.6% in May, according to the British Retail Consortium’s (BRC) latest shop price index. This has been confirmed to be below the three-month average rate of 0.9%, with the annual shop price growth being at its lowest since November 2021. …
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24 May
Consumer confidence recovers in May
Consumer confidence has continued to recover by a three-point rise to -27 in May, according to GfK’s long-running Consumer Confidence Increase. While all measures were up in comparison to last month’s announcement, the figures remain in the minus. The forecast for personal finances is expected to increase five points to…
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24 May
Retail sales slump 2.3% in April amid wet weather
Retail sales fell by 2.3% in volume over April, following a fall of 0.2% in March, as the retail sector was hampered by ongoing wet weather over the period. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), sales volumes were down across most sectors, with non-food stores particularly “doing badly” as…
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10 May
UK economy exits recession as GDP jumps 0.6% in Q1
The UK economy is no longer in recession after it grew by 0.6% between January and March this year, according to official figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The performance beat economist expectations of 0.4% growth. A recession, which is defined as two consecutive three-month periods where the…
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Apr- 2024 -30 April
Shop Price annual inflation falls to 0.8% in April
Shop Price annual inflation eased to 0.8% in April, down from 1.3% in March, as it starts to show “signs of normalising”, according to the latest figures from the BRC-Nielsen Index. Non-Food entered deflation at -0.6% in April, down from 0.2% in the preceding month. This is below the three-month…
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26 April
Consumer confidence hits three-month high in April
Consumer confidence has risen from -21 to -19 in April, marking the first improvement in three months, GfK has reported. As consumer confidence across the UK has come above the -20 forecast, it also marks an improvement on the prior year, when the overall index score stood at -30. According…
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