News
The latest news, updates and analysis on the the UK retail industry. Covering every segment of the market, Retail Sector’s business journalists keep you in the picture.
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Jan- 2018 -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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8 January
Retailers vow to control acid-attack ingredient sales
Some of the country’s largest retailers and independent business leaders have pledged not to sell the most harmful corrosive substances to under 18s, as part of a series of voluntary commitments proposed by the government to help limit acid attacks. Waitrose, B&Q, Morrisons, Wickes, Co-op, Screwfix and Tesco are among…
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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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5 January
Asda opens UK’s first ‘parcel vending machine’
A new automated ‘parcel tower’ for George.com’s click-and-collect service has been installed at Asda’s Trafford Park store following a successful trial by parent company Walmart in the US. The acts as a giant parcel vending machine. Customers can choose items available on George.com from their computer or smartphone, select the…
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4 January
Waitrose bans sales of high caffeine drinks to minors
Supermarket giant Waitrose has announced that it will ban sales of highly caffeinated energy drinks to minors. From 5 March 2018, stores will ask customers to provide identification proving that they are over the age of 16 when purchasing drinks containing more than 150mg of caffeine per litre. The move…
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3 January
Next boosts profit forecast by £7m after stronger Christmas sales
Clothing retailer Next has raised its full year profit forecast by £7m after delivering a stronger than expected Christmas sales period. The period yielded a 1.5% increase in full-price sales from November 1 to December 24, attributed to strong online sales for winter clothing as customers prepared for the cold…
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3 January
Retail entertainment reaches ‘all-time-high’ in 2017
The size of the UK’s retail entertainment market reached an all-time high of £7.24bn in 2017 driven mainly by digital streaming services, according to new data. In figures compiled by the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA), the market segment saw combined sales growth of 8.8% across music, video and games, compared…
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2 January
Festive footfall disappoints despite increase on New Years Day
Footfall dropped by -10.5% on New Year’s Eve compared with the previous year, according to new retail footfall data. Springboard, a provider of automated footfall monitoring services, reported footfall dropped significantly and unexpectedly on New Year’s Eve across the UK, declining by -10.5% over the 24 hours and by -7.2%…
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2 January
Co-op to open 100 new food stores in 2018
The Co-op has confirmed plans to open 100 new food stores across the UK in 2018, creating an estimated 1,600 jobs. It comes as part of the £160m investment programme for the community retailer that includes new stores and major refurbishment for a further 150 outlets. More than 20 new…
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Nov- 2017 -23 November
Retail associations respond to ‘encouraging’ Autumn Budget
A number of retail associations have responded positively to the Chancellor’s Budget which was revealed yesterday (22 November). The British Retail Consortium (BRC) and NFU Mutual reacted to the announcement that the move from RPI to CPI indexation will be brought forward by two years to 2018, allowing for a…
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