Bank of England
This coverage analyses the Bank of Englandโs decisions and policies and their impact on the UK retail sector, focusing on interest rates, inflation, consumer spending, and economic forecasts. Reporting provides context on how monetary policy shapes retail performance, costs, and demand โ offering insight for executives, managers, and professionals making strategic decisions in a shifting economic environment.
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Feb- 2020 -19 FebruaryAnalysis
Inflation jumps, physical money nearing the end, immigration to prioritise skills, ยฃ150m film studio to launch
Inflation has reached its highest rate in six months, at 1.8%, after the price of fuel and energy rose over the course of the last year. The consumer prices index (CPI) which measures the rate by monitoring the price of consumer goods, was expected to come in at 1.6%, so…
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18 FebruaryEconomy
Consumer confidence reaches record-high in February
The IHS Markit Household Finance Index reached a record-high of 47.6 in February, up from 44.6 last month. IHS Markit, the global information provider which compiles the survey, said it is the highest index reading since the survey began 11 years ago. The firm added that while the figure is…
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Jan- 2020 -15 JanuaryAnalysis
Boohoo more valuable than M&S โ a sea-change encapsulated
From a purely journalistic standpoint it is now a de facto clichรฉ to refer to Marks and Spencer as the โhigh street bellwetherโ, yet that is the status it has held for so many decades. The once mighty monolith was the first British retailer to reach a market capitalisation of…
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14 JanuaryAnalysis
Javid mulls three-year passenger duty holiday for Flybe
Things are not looking rosy for low-cost airline, Flybe, but the chancellor Sajid Javid may have some proposals that save it from complete collapse. It is reported this morning that he is considering cutting air passenger duty on all domestic flights โ a big boon for all the other airlines…
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9 JanuaryAnalysis
Who would have thought skinny jeans could be anyoneโs undoing?
Itโs not often that the business pages give you a good belly laugh. But today we have the spectacle of Marks & Spencer blaming its poor Christmas trading results partly on an oversupply of skinny jeans for men. Apparently customer surveys revealed that the high street bellwetherโs ranges were โtoo…
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Feb- 2019 -22 FebruaryHigh Street
January posts lowest footfall decline in three years
January footfall declined 0.8% according to the latest data from Ipsos Retail Performance – the lowest decline in three years. ย Ipsos said the figures indicate that Britainโs shoppers โare getting on with the certainties of everyday livingโ despite the uncertainties of Brexit.Further figures showed that year-on-year deficits over three…
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14 FebruaryEconomy
UK inflation hits two-year low in January
The Consumer Prices Index (CPI) 12-month rate fell to 1.8% in January 2019, down from 2.1% in December 2018, according to the latest figures from the ONS. This fell below the Bank of England’s inflation target of 2% for the month, with the Retail Prices Index (RPI) also decreasing to…
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Jan- 2019 -4 JanuaryComment
Carnage on the shop floor
The pressure on the retail sector has been a consistent staple for investors since the end of the financial crisis, partly as a result of changing shopping habits but also down to rising costs and outdated business models. This has been no better illustrated by the way UK consumers behaved…
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Nov- 2018 -1 NovemberEconomy
Bank of England puts hold on interest rates due to Brexit uncertainty
The Bank of England has placed interest rates on hold following growing uncertainty around Brexit. A vote to leave rates unchanged held by the bankโs Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) was in favour of leaving rates at 0.75% by 9-0. Financial markets are currently indicating that rates will not rise until…
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Aug- 2018 -13 AugustEconomy
Household spending drops 0.9% in July
Household spending dropped 0.9% in July due to โdisappointing growthโ in real earnings, ย according to Visasโ UK Consumer Spending Index. The quickest fall in spend was registered in retail categories, decreasing by 1.2% year-on-year, and ecommerce expenditure fell by 0.5% after a marginal rise during June (0.4%). According to the…
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