Bank of England

This coverage analyses the Bank of England’s 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 — offering insight for executives, managers, and professionals making strategic decisions in a shifting economic environment.

Jul- 2023 -

12 July

Economy

Heather Sandlin

Cost of living crisis to wipe £65bn from household finances

Inflation and the cost of living crisis are set to wipe £65bn from household finances across the UK, with real earnings not expected to return to growth until May 2024, according to a new report from Grant Thornton and Retail Economics. The report, which asked 2,000 adult consumers in the…
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Jun- 2023 -

26 June

Supermarkets

Heather Sandlin

Supermarket leaders to be questioned over rising prices

Supermarket leaders are set to be questioned by MPs this week regarding claims they could be profiteering from rising food and fuel prices. According to The Sunday Times, Morrisons CEO David Potts will be among the supermarket bosses to be questioned by MPs on the business committee tomorrow (27 June).…
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23 June

Analysis

Corina Duma

How a 5% interest rate hike will affect trading

It was announced yesterday (22 June) by the Bank of England that interest rates will immediately increase from 4.5% to 5.%, marking the 13th consecutive hike since rates were first increased in December 2021 from a low of 0.1% to 0.25%. So far in 2023, this is the fifth consecutive…
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22 June

Economy

Lewis Catchpole

BoE raises interest rate to 15-year high

The Bank of England (BoE) has raised interest rates for the 13th consecutive time to 5%, the highest level in 15 years, after it was revealed that inflation remained at 8.7% in May. The BoE’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted by a majority of 7-2 to increase the rate by…
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12 June

News

Lewis Catchpole

UK economy set to grow amid increased investment, says CBI

The economy looks to have fared better than expected in the first half of 2023, and is set to steer clear of a recession, according to the CBI’s latest Economic Forecast. The CBI has forecasted 0.4% growth in GDP over 2023, picking up to 1.8% in 2024, upgraded from -0.4%…
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May- 2023 -

11 May

Economy

Lewis Catchpole

BoE raises interest rate for 12th time to 4.5%

The Bank of England (BoE) has raised interest rates for the 12th consecutive time to 4.5%, up from 4.25%. The BoE’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted by a majority of 7-2 to increase the rate by 0.25% in a bid to meet the 2% inflation target. The committee said it…
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Mar- 2023 -

23 March

Economy

Lewis Catchpole

BoE raises interest rates to 4.25%

The Bank of England (BoE) has announced that interest rates will be raised by 0.25% to 4.25%, the highest rate in almost 15 years, following an unexpected rise in inflation last month. The move marks the 11th consecutive increase from the BoE and follows the jump in inflation to 10.4%…
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Feb- 2023 -

2 February

Economy

Lewis Catchpole

BoE raises interest rates to 4%

The Bank of England (BoE) has announced that interest rates will be raised by 0.5%, bringing the base rate of interest to 4%, the highest level in 14 years. The increase, which is the tenth consecutive increase, was decided after the bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted by a majority…
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Dec- 2022 -

15 December

Economy

Lewis Catchpole

Bank of England raises interest rates by 0.5% to 3.5%

The Bank of England (BoE) has announced that interest rates will be raised by 0.5%, bringing the base rate of interest to 3.5%, the highest level in 14 years. At a meeting held on 14 December 2022, the Bank’s MPC voted by a majority of 6-3 to increase rates by…
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5 December

High Street

Patrick Dunne

CBI downgrades growth forecast to -0.4% amid ‘lacklustre outlook’

CBI has downgraded its GDP growth outlook significantly, to -0.4% in 2023 (from 1.0% in its last forecast), after a “turbulent year both politically and economically”. It said the reason behind the latest change is that the economy is likely to have fallen into a recession in Q3 2022, and…
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