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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Mar- 2024 -22 March
UK Consumer confidence stagnates in March
UK Consumer confidence has remained flat at -21 in March following a two point drop last month, according to data from GfK. Moreover, the major purchase index fell two points down to -27 but this figure remains six points higher than this time last year. Consumer expectations for the general…
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22 March
Retail sales flatline in rainiest February on record
UK retail sales experienced no growth (0.0%) in February, down from 3.6% in the month prior, as wet weather discouraged store sales, according to the latest figures released by the ONS. While the latest figures were still ahead of expectations for a 0.4% decline, food and fuel sellers felt the…
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20 March
Inflation falls to 3.4%
UK inflation fell to 3.4% in February, down from 4% in January, beating economists expectations of 3.5% as food inflation continued to ease. The largest downward contributions to the monthly change in both CPIH and CPI annual rates came from food, and restaurants and cafes, while the largest upward contributions…
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14 March
Retail sees 14 closures a day as 5,000 stores vanish in 2023
High-profile retail restructuring and administrations have resulted in a net of 14 store closures a day during 2023, according to research from LDC and PwC, meaning that 5,000 fewer shops are currently trading across the country. The research has attributed the high volume of closures to the collapses of high…
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13 March
Shoppers help boost UK economy in Jan
UK GDP increased by 0.2% in January, up from a decline of 0.1% in December, as an increase in spending in shops helped to boost growth. While the performance was expected by economists it means that GDP is estimated to have fallen by 0.3% compared with the same month last…
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7 March
Budget will ‘do nothing to turbocharge investment’, says BRC
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has stated that the latest Budget announcement will “do nothing to turbocharge investment and growth in communities”. This comes after Chancellor Jeremy Hunt revealed his Spring Budget without many big giveaways for retail businesses. Hunt resisted calls from business leaders to reduce business rates, reintroduce…
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6 March
Chancellor cuts NI by a further 2p as part of Spring Budget
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has announced a further 2p cut to National Insurance, falling from 10% to 8% from 6 April, as part of his Spring Budget for “long-term growth”. The reduction in National Insurance is expected to save the average worker £450 a year, or £350 for those who are…
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5 March
Deal activity in F&B recovered in 2023, Grant Thornton finds
Deal activity in the food and beverage sector rebounded last year compared with 2022, when dealmaking was put on pause due to the emerging cost of living crisis, according to new research from Grant Thornton. According to the firm’s research, there was an uptick in M&A activity across the sector…
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5 March
Retail sales underperform in February
UK total retail sales rose by 1.1% year-on-year during the four-week period ended 24 February, against a growth of 5.2% last year and below the three-month average growth of 1.4%, according to the BRC. The BRC has attributed the poor retail sales to February 2024 being “the wettest on record”. …
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Feb- 2024 -28 February
68% of SMEs feel more positive about business growth, survey finds
Some 68% of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are feeling more positive about their business growth opportunities when compared to last year, according to Alibaba.com’s B2B Sentiment Survey. According to the survey, which had more than 500 SMEs participate across the country, found that of this 68%, 19% described their…
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