Economy
Economy explores the wider economic forces influencing the UK retail industry. This section covers inflation, consumer spending, interest rates, labour market conditions, and policy developments affecting retail performance and profitability. Retail Sectorโs Economy coverage provides expert analysis, data-driven insight, and commentary to help retail leaders, financial planners, and operational managers understand how macroeconomic trends are shaping demand, costs, and investment decisions across the sector.
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Nov- 2025 -26 November
Budget business rates plan โan attack on London and the Southeastโ, says Colliers
Business rates changes announced in the November Budget 2025 amount to โan attack on London and the Southeastโ, according to Colliers, which said most of the firms facing higher charges under the new system are based in the two regions. The comments came as the government confirmed that overall business…
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26 November
BUDGET: Income tax bands frozen, minimum wage to increase, NI-exempt pension threshold scrapped
Income tax and NI thresholds will be frozen while the minimum wage will rise by 50p from April 2026, the chancellor Rachel Reeves said in her Autumn Budget statement today.ย Reeves announced a series of tax changes in other areas, including salary-sacrificed NI contributions on pensions, as part of measures to…
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21 November
Retail sales slip as shoppers await Budget and Black Friday
Retail sales volumes fell by 1.1% in October 2025, the first monthly drop since May, as retailers reported that many shoppers held off spending in the run-up to Black Friday. The fall followed a revised 0.7% rise in September and a 0.5% increase in August. Supermarkets, clothing stores and mail…
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18 November
Consumer confidence drops to four-month low ahead of Autumn Budget
UK consumer sentiment has weakened in November as households reported greater strain on finances and growing uncertainty ahead of the Autumn Budget, according to the latest S&P Global UK Consumer Sentiment Index. The index, which tracks financial wellbeing, labour market conditions, spending, savings and debt, fell to 45.2 in November…
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13 November
UK economy slows to 0.1% in third quarter
The UKโs economic growth slowed to 0.1% in the third quarter, falling short of expectations from City analysts and the Bank of England (BoE). The Office for National Statistics said monthly output slipped 0.1% in September, with earlier figures for July and August revised down. The data arrives ahead of…
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6 November
BoE holds interest rates at 4% ahead of Budget
The Bank of England (BoE) has voted to keep interest rates steady at 4% ahead of the upcoming Budget announcement on 26 November. The bankโs Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted by a majority of five to four to maintain the rate, with four members voting to reduce it by 0.25…
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Oct- 2025 -28 October
Shop price inflation slows to 1% in October amid retailer discounting
Shop price inflation eased to 1.0% year on year in October, down from 1.4% in September, as competition led to widespread discounting, according to the latest British Retail Consortium (BRC) figures. The rate was marginally below the three-month average of 1.1%. It comes as Non-food prices fell by 0.4% year…
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24 October
Retail sales improve as good weather drives clothing sales
UK retail sales rose 0.5% in September as a result of a 1.5% increase in non-store retailing and a 1.2% increase in household goods, according to data from the Office for National Statistics. The rise in total sales in September was the fourth consecutive month of increase as volumes reached…
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24 October
Consumer confidence edges up as shoppers prepare for Black Friday
Consumer confidence in the UK rose two points to -17 in October, according to the latest GfK Consumer Confidence Barometer, with four measures up and one down compared with September as buying sentiment was lifted by early retail sales events. The monthly survey found that consumers were more positive about…
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23 October
Usdaw welcomes 6.7% rise in real Living Wage
Retail trade union Usdaw has welcomed a 6.7% increase in the real Living Wage, describing it as โa welcome boost for the lowest-paid workersโ. It comes as the Living Wage Foundation announced yesterday (22 October) that the new rates will rise to ยฃ13.45 per hour across the UK and ยฃ14.80…
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