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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Feb- 2025 -21 February
UK retail sales rise by 1.7% in January
UK retail sales volumes increased by 1.7% in January driven largely by food sales, the ONS has revealed. According to the new figures, sales volumes fell by 0.6% in the three months to January 2025, compared with the three months to October 2024, but rose by 1.4%, compared with the…
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20 February
UK consumer confidence drops to new low in February
UK consumer confidence slipped to a new low of -37 in February, amid the worsening state of the economy. According to the latest BRC-Opinium Consumer Sentiment Monitor, the economy worsened for the fifth consecutive month, down from -34 in January. The BRC reported that even Gen Z, despite being the…
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19 February
Inflation hits highest level in 10 months
Inflation hit 3% in January, its highest level in 10 months, as air fairs, new private school fees and the cost of food and drink all rose more than usual for the time of year, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The 3% level…
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13 February
Economy unexpectedly grows by 0.1% in Q4
Britain’s economy unexpectedly grew in the final quarter of 2024, according to new figures from the Office for National Statistics, easing pressure on chancellor Rachel Reeves.Gross domestic product (GDP) rose by 0.1% in the fourth quarter of 2024, after zero growth the previous quarter, beating forecasts of economists and the…
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11 February
Retail sales increase 2.6% despite ‘stormy’ January
UK total retail sales increased by 2.6% year-on-year in January, against a growth of 1.2% in January 2024, as consumer sentiment remained resilient despite stormy weather, according to the latest figures from the BRC-KPMG Retail Sales Monitor. This growth was above the three-month average growth of 1.1% and above the…
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6 February
BoE cuts interest rates to 4.5%
The Bank of England (BoE) has voted to cut interest rates from 4.75% to 4.5%, the lowest level since June 2023, but warned that GDP growth has been “weaker than expected”. At its meeting this week, the bank’s monetary policy committee voted by a majority of 7–2 to reduce the…
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Jan- 2025 -28 January
January sales see shop price deflation hit 0 .7%
January sales helped shop price deflation reach 0.7% in January, above deflation of 1.0% in the previous month, as retailers attempted to attract post-Christmas shoppers, according to the latest figures from the BRC-NilesenIQ Shop Price Index. Shop price annual growth is at its lowest rate since August 2021 as non-food…
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24 January
Consumer confidence drops five points in January
Consumer confidence decreased by five points to -22 in January, GfK’s latest Consumer Confidence Index has revealed. According to the Index, the measure for the general economic situation of the country during the last 12 months is down seven points to -46, which is five points lower than in January…
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17 January
Retail sales unexpectedly fall amid ‘poor’ supermarket sales
Retail sales fell 0.3% in December according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics. It follows a 0.1% increase in November, revised down from a previous estimate of a 0.2% rise. Analysts had been expecting sales to rise by 0.4% in the run up to Christmas as…
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16 January
UK economy narrowly returns to growth in November
The UK economy narrowly returned to growth in November as real gross domestic product (GDP) increased 0.1%, largely because of a growth in services. The increase comes after two consecutive months of decline, however, real GDP is estimated to have shown no growth in the three months to November 2024,…
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