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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Feb- 2024 -2 February
Two in five FTSE retailers issued profit warnings last year
The percentage of UK-listed companies issuing profit warnings last year hit 18.2%, exceeding the levels seen at the peak of the financial crisis in 2008, according to new findings from EY. In particular, the rate of profit warnings remained high for FTSE retailers, with two in every five FTSE retailers…
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Jan- 2024 -30 January
Shop price inflation drops to lowest level since 2022
Shop Price annual inflation eased to 2.9% in January, down from 4.3% in December, marking the lowest level since May 2022. It comes as non-food inflation fell to 1.3% in January, down from 3.1% in December. This is below the three-month average rate of 2.4%. Meanwhile, food inflation decelerated to…
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26 January
Retail theft hits highest rate in 20 years
Data from the Office for National Statistics shows that there were over 400,000 incidents of shoplifting in the year to September 2023, the highest level seen in 20 years. This is a 32% increase on last year and the first time the number has exceeded 400,000 since records began in…
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17 January
Inflation unexpectedly rises in December
Inflation unexpectedly increased to 4% in December off the back of rises in fuel and tobacco prices. According to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) the small rise in the annual rate between November and December 2023 was a result of prices rising by 0.4% on…
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17 January
Footfall climbed 3.3% in 2023 despite cost-of-living crisis
Footfall steadily rose by 3.3% in 2023 compared with the previous year, despite the rising prominence of the cost of living crisis, according to MRI Software’s latest retail outlook report. The findings suggest that consumers found a way to spread costs, as retail “stood firm” in the face of the…
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12 January
UK economy rebounds in Nov
The UK economy rebounded in November as monthly GDP increased 0.3% off the back on a 0.3% fall in October, according to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The ONS said services output jumped 0.4% in November 2023 and was the main contributor to the monthly…
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8 January
120,000 retail jobs lost in 2023
Almost 120,000 retail employees lost their jobs in 2023 after more than 10,000 shops shuttered over the year, according to new data from the Centre for Retail Research. It found that during the 2023 calendar year, a total of 119,405 jobs were lost and 10,494 stores were shuttered across the…
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5 January
Northern Ireland records investment volumes of £338m, CBRE finds
Northern Ireland’s commercial investment sector held steady in 2023 despite economic challenges, recording total investment volumes of £338m, CBRE NI has revealed. Investment sales were accumulated across 31 transactions, exceeding 2022’s tally of £330m and marking the investment sector’s strongest performance since 2015. The standout transactions of the year included…
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2 January
Shop price inflation flatlines in December
The annual shop price rise was slower than the three-month average rate of 4.6% at 4.3%, the lowest since June 2022, according to the BRC’s latest shop price index. The index, which compiled data from the first week of December, showed that non-food price inflation picked up to 3.1% in…
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Dec- 2023 -20 December
UK inflation falls to two-year low of 3.9%
UK inflation has fallen to 3.9% in the year to November, the lowest level seen in two years, according to new figures from the Office for National Statistics. The rate of inflation was lower than expected after falling from a rate of 4.6% in October, though the ONS said prices…
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