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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Sep- 2022 -12 September
Economic recovery slows in July
The UK economy’s growth slowed in July to 0.2% according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The result is below previous forecasts of 0.4% growth for the month as worker shortages and soaring costs weighed on activity. It found that services grew by 0.4% in…
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12 September
BoE delays interest rates decision
The Bank of England (BoE) has delayed its interest rates decision for one week, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. The meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee, which was expected to further raise interest rates, is now expected to be held at 12pm on 22 September, in light of…
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9 September
UK workers face £2,000 hit to real wages
UK workers are facing a £2,000 hit to their real wages by the end of 2022 as the UK economy confronts a “highly volatile and uncertain” inflationary outlook, according to the latest PwC Economic Outlook. PwC expects that the UK will likely report growth of between 3.6% in the “mild…
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8 September
Energy bills to be capped at £2,500 a year from October
Prime minister Liz Truss has announced today that energy bills for typical households will be capped at £2,500 annually for their gas and electricity bills from the start of this coming October. The news comes as her first major policy announcement, and according to Sky News, the new price guarantee…
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6 September
UK retail sales slow in August
UK retail sales slowed in August as total sales increased by 1.0% compared with an increase of 3% in August 2021, above the 3-month average of 0.7% but below the 12 month average growth of 2.5%, according to data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and KPMG retail monitor. From…
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5 September
UK retail sector M&A deals increase 21% on last year
The number of M&A deals targeting UK retailers has increased by 21% in the last year, up from 28 transactions to 34 in the last 12 months, as deals in the sector “buck the overall slowdown in M&A”, according to RPC, the international law firm. Overall, UK M&A activity has…
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Aug- 2022 -31 August
Food prices rise at fastest rate since 2008, BRC finds
New data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and NielsenIQ index has shown that food prices have risen at their fastest rate since 2008 in August, with an increase of 9.3% after an initial 7% increase last month. The BRC reported that fresh food was more than 10% more expensive…
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26 August
Energy price cap to rise by 80% to £3,549 from October
Ofgem has confirmed that the energy price cap will increase by 80% to a record £3,549 a year for dual fuel for an average household from 1 October 2022. The rise will affect those on standard variable tariffs, with the record annual bill only being based on typical usage. At…
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19 August
Retail sales improve slightly in July
Retail sales volumes rose by 0.3% in July 2022 following a fall of 0.2% in June 2022, according to the latest data from the Office for national Statistics (ONS). Sales volumes were 2.3% above their pre-coronavirus (COVID-19) February 2020 levels, but down over the past year. Looking more broadly, in…
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19 August
Consumer confidence hits record low of -44 in August
Acute concerns amid the soaring cost of living and bleak economic prospects saw GfK’s long-running Consumer Confidence Index fall by three points to -44 in August, the lowest since records began in 1974. It is reported that all five measures of the index were down in comparison to the 22…
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