Government
Government covers the policies, regulations, and political developments impacting the UK retail industry. This section reports on government initiatives, legislative changes, taxation, employment law, and sustainability policy, analysing how they affect retailers’ operations and strategic planning. Retail Sector’s Government coverage provides retail leaders, compliance teams, and business owners with informed insight into regulatory trends and public-sector engagement shaping the commercial environment across the retail sector.
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Jul- 2018 -10 July
Home Bargains ‘underpaid staff £272k’
Discount retailer TJ Morris Limited, trading as Home Bargains, has failed to pay the national minimum wage to its staff according to the UK government. Home Bargains appeared second in a government list of nearly 240 employers who had not paid the National Living and Minimum Wage, with the retailer…
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9 July
200,000 companies sued over business rates
Over 200,000 businesses were taken to a Magistrates court for failing to pay for businesses rates under the first year of the new business rates revaluation, an investigation has revealed. Real estate advisor Altus Group collated information procured under the Freedom of Information Act (FOI) from all councils in England. They were…
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9 July
Asda CEO: Hard Brexit could have ‘significant consequences’ for food supply and quality
Asda CEO Roger Burnley has expressed his concerns that a ‘hard’ Brexit could have “significant consequences” for food supply and quality. He described the prospect of holdups at the UK border as “scary”, adding: “You’d be eating into the life of products with all sorts of implications for waste, for…
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6 July
UK Treasury rejects retailers’ business rates reform calls
The UK Treasury has today rejected calls from retailers who say business rates should be reformed to create a level playing field with online retailers. During a meeting of parliament’s Treasury Select Committee, chancellor Philip Hammond said reforming international corporation tax was a higher priority for the government, adding that…
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4 July
BRC calls for two-year freeze on business rates
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has asked the government to consider freezing business rates for two years to ease the pressure on retailers. By proposing a two-year freeze on increases, the BRC said it would give time for the government and industry to develop a proposal for an updated taxation…
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3 July
FRC launches investigation into KPMG’s last Conviviality audit
The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has launched an investigation into the most recent audit by KPMG of the financial statements of Conviviality. The FRC is investigating the audit of the now defunct off-licence retailer that covered the 52 weeks ending 30 April 2017. The investigation will be conducted under the…
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Jun- 2018 -28 June
Head office jobs more likely to face axe than shop floor following national living wage rises
New research has found that those working in head office are more likely to lose their jobs as the result of an increase to the national living wage. Research by Foot Anstey found that 52% of companies would rather keep front line staff and make cuts to head office headcount.…
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25 June
MPs to investigate environmental impact of ‘fast fashion’
The Environmental Audit Committee has launched an investigation into the social and environmental impact of disposable ‘fast fashion’ and the wider clothing industry. The inquiry will examine the carbon, resource use and water footprint of clothing throughout its lifecycle. It will also look at how clothes can be recycled, and…
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21 June
MPs hit out at ‘baloney’ supermarket claims of price-cut post-merger
Neil Parish MP yesterday told Asda CEO Roger Burnley not to “give us a load of baloney” after Burnley repeatedly claimed his firm’s merger with Sainsbury’s and the product price cuts they have promised would not negatively affect small suppliers. Burnley said during a Environment, Food and Rural Affairs select…
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20 June
Independent retailers feeling ‘optimistic’ about high street future
More than half of the nation’s independent high street retailers are optimistic about the future of their local high street – and four out of five shoppers would miss their local high street if it was no longer there. This is according to new research to launch the government-run Great…
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