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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Sep- 2018 -7 September
August high street sales one of โworst on recordโ as shoppers steer clear
August high street sales have been described as โone of the worst on recordโ by accountancy and business advisory firm BDO. According to the firmโs High Street Sales Tracker (HSST) for August, UK high street sales declined 2.7% year-on-year – making it the worst August decline for three years. BDO…
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6 September
Retailers get more sales with early Black Friday campaigns
Consumers who receive promotional messages in September are three times more likely to make purchases during Black Friday and Cyber Monday, new research has revealed. According to the study, marketers and advertisers who start their campaigns earlier treble their sales conversion rates compared to those who leave it until November.…
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6 September
Amazon will account for 5% of global retail, say analysts
Analysts have said they expect Amazon to account for 5% of the global retail market in the near future. The online retailer currently has a market capitalisation of 1.5% however it is nearing a $1bn valuation. Amazonโs importance in the global retail market has led to the Office for National…
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5 September
Electric bikes speed up Halfords sales
Halfords has announced that increased demand for electric bikes has helped the company to achieve a like-for-like sales increase of 2.8% over the 20 weeks leading up to 17 August. Shares rose by 7% this morning following the announcement, bringing the car part retailerโs total value up ยฃ653m. The figures…
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4 September
Footfall โbetter than expectedโ in August
Footfall fell by 4.1% in August compared with the same month last year, according to the Ipsos retail footfall tracker. Despite the drop, analysts described footfall levels as โbetter than expectedโ as the pace of year-on-year footfall decline slowed in August. Ipsos said this might be down to the success…
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4 September
M&Co reports rocketing online sales
M&Co has reported a rapid rise in its online sales of 18.3% in the year to February which contributed to an overall sales rise of 5.4% up to ยฃ211.4m. The group saw pre-tax profit grow by ยฃ320,000 to over ยฃ3.6m, while like-for-like sales grew by 2.4% across the same period.…
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3 September
Footasylum shares drop by 50% as company warns of losses
Footasylum has this morning issued a profit warning that said it expects to report lower than expected revenue and a loss in EBITDA. Shares in the company dropped by 50% this morning (3 September) following the warning. The footwear retailer blamed โweak consumer sentiment on the high streetโ for the…
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Aug- 2018 -31 August
Homebase โvery likelyโ to enter administration if CVA isnโt passed
The future of Homebase is to be decided today as creditors vote on a CVA which would see the closure of 42 stores. Hilco Capital, the DIY retailerโs owner said that the company was โvery likelyโ to enter administration if the CVA is not passed. Some Homebase landlords plan to…
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30 August
Hot September could cost retailers ยฃ320m in sales
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has said a hot September could cost retailers ยฃ320m in sales, with non-food retailers losing ยฃ80m per week. Based on Met Office figures, the new BRC research found a โclear relationshipโ between weather and retail sales. The report says that weather influences sales most between…
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29 August
Shop price deflation comes to an end in August
Shop prices entered inflationary territory in August for the first time in over five years, with prices increasing by 0.1% compared with the 0.3% decrease in July. Non-food deflation continued to ease in August to 1% from 1.4% in July, the lowest rate of deflation since April 2013, and food…
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