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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Jan- 2018 -17 January
Inflation drops for the first time in 6 months
The inflation rate saw a slight dip in December, falling to 3%, according to figures released by the Office of National Statistics (ONS). The level of inflation, according to Consumer Price Index (CPI), was less than November’s rate of 3.1%, which was at its highest for six years. The high…
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16 January
Euromonitor: 2018 consumer spending boom expected
Consumer expenditure is expected to grow at its strongest rate since 2011 this year, according to a new report released today. Market research company Euromonitor International revealed its predictions for the future, as well as the top 10 global consumer trends for 2018. According to the report, ‘Top 10 Global…
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15 January
Kering offloads 70% stake in Puma
Luxury goods group Kering has announced plans to sell a 70% stake in sportswear brand Puma amongst its shareholders. Post transaction, Kering would retain approximately 16% of Puma shares outstanding. Artémis, which holds 40.9% of Kering’s shares, would become a long term strategic shareholder of Puma with an ownership of…
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15 January
High street sees sharpest footfall decline in four years
New figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Springboard show footfall in the month of December suffered its sharpest decline since March 2013. Total UK retail footfall fell by 3.5% compared with December 2016, while the high street saw a sharper drop, down by 4.6%. Shopping centres suffered a…
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12 January
B&M reports sales increase of 22%
Discount retailer B&M has reported an increase in total sales of 22.7% on a constant currency basis, which were boosted by record Christmas trading. On an actual currency basis, total sales climbed by 22.9% to £969.8 million. UK sales revenue for the B&M store estate in the 13-week period…
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11 January
Train station Christmas shopping brings 9% sales growth
Figures released by Network Rail show total train station retail sales for the festive period grew by 9% this year. The figures, which span 18 November to 23 December, suggested a growing desire for convenience retail, Network Rail said. Station retailers saw a total of over £110m in sales during…
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10 January
‘Serious concerns’ over CFD retail investment tool
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has said it has ‘serious concerns’ over the way CFDs (contracts for difference) are sold to retail investors. The speculative tool has become popular with investors despite roughly 76% of users losing money through it in 2016. CFDs are being marketed as an alternative to…
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9 January
Retail administrations increase in five-year-first
The number of retailers entering administration increased from 92 in 2016 to 118 in 2017, an increase of 28 percent, according to new analysis from Deloitte. This is the first increase in the last five years, as those administrations with more than ten stores rose from 11 in 2016 to…
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9 January
UK retail sales show marginal growth over Christmas
UK retail sales showed less growth over Christmas than they did last year, according to figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC). Retail sales increased by 0.6% on a like-for-like basis from December 2016, which was a decline compared to an increase of 1.0% from the preceding year. Over the…
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5 January
Christmas discounts push shop price deflation to 9-month high
Shop prices in December fell at their fastest rate for nine months, having previously been “teetering on the edge of inflation,” according to new figures. The latest British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Nielsen Shop Price Index showed overall shop prices dropped 0.6% cent in December compared with the same month…
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