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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Nov- 2022 -16 November
Rising energy and food costs push inflation to 11.1%
Inflation has risen to a 41-year high of 11.1% in October, according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The inflation rate rose from 10.1% in September meaning it is now at its highest point since October 1981. The ONS has attributed this rise to increasing energy and…
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15 November
Unemployment rate rises to 3.6%
The unemployment rate for July to September 2022 increased by 0.2% on the quarter to 3.6, according to the latest statistics from the ONS. The UK employment rate for July to September 2022 was 75.5%, largely unchanged from the previous quarter and 1.1% lower than before the coronavirus pandemic. Over…
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11 November
UK economy contracts 0.2% in Q3
The first signs of the UK entering a recession reared its head in the last quarter as the economy contracted by 0.2% between July and September, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Monthly estimates published today (11 November 2022) found that GDP fell by…
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8 November
Grocery price inflation hits record 14.7%
Four-week grocery price inflation has hit another record high figure at 14.7%, according to Kantar, marking another “record” high and adding a potential extra £682 to annual grocery bills. The news comes as take-home grocery sales increased by 5.2% in the 12 weeks to 30 October 2022, marking the fastest…
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3 November
BoE raises interest rates to 3%
The Bank of England (BoE) has raised the base rate of interest to 3%, an increase of 0.75%, as it warned that the UK is set to face its longest recession since records began. At its meeting ending on 2 November 2022, the Bank’s MPC voted by a majority of…
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Oct- 2022 -21 October
Retail sales fall below pre-pandemic levels
Retail sales volumes fell by 1.4% in September 2022, making them 1.3% below pre-coronavirus (Covid-19) February 2020 levels. According to the latest data from the ONS, while retailers continue to mention the effect of rising prices and the cost of living on sales volumes, they were also affected by the…
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19 October
Rising food prices push inflation back to 10.1%
Inflation has returned to the 40-year high of 10.1% in September, up from 9.9% in August, with rising food prices as the main contributor, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The increase to the annual inflation rate in September 2022 reflected, principally, rising food…
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17 October
Chancellor reverses almost all mini-budget tax cuts
Newly appointed chancellor Jeremy Hunt has reversed almost all of the mini-budget commitments made by previous chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng last month, in a statement made at the Treasury today (17 October). He confirmed the basic rate of income tax will remain at 20% “indefinitely” until the economic situation stabilises, marking…
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11 October
Unemployment at lowest level in 50 years as pay levels fall
The UK unemployment rate dropped to 75.5% for June to August 2022, down 0.3 percentage points from the previous quarter (March to May 2022), and this marks the lowest level of unemployment rates since December to February 1974. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), rising inflation has caused…
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11 October
Retail sales rise 2.2% in September
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) Sales Monitor reports that, on a total basis, sales increased by 2.2% in September, against an increase of 0.6% in September 2021. According to the BRC, the UK retail sales also increased 1.8% on a like-for-like basis from September 2021, when they had reportedly decreased…
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