Brexit
This coverage examines the impact of Brexit on the UK retail sector, with reporting on trade agreements, tariffs, supply chain disruptions, labour market changes, and regulatory adjustments. Insights are tailored to retail managers and executives assessing how post-Brexit developments shape operations, costs, and strategic planning within the industry.
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Feb- 2020 -17 FebruaryFeatures
Book Smart: Why the independent bookshop is here to stay
The bookselling industry is subject to constant speculation. In a world where Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos reigns and tablet devices are a mainstay, one would be forgiven for assuming the end is nigh for independent booksellers’ success. But despite the rise of retail giants and fall of book…
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13 FebruaryHigh Street
Retail footfall bounces back in January after quiet December
Footfall in non-food stores in the UK fell by just 0.5% year-on-year in January according to Ipsos Retail Performance’s latest Retail Traffic Index (RTI). The retail insights company had originally forecast a footfall decline of 1.9% for the month, and said that after such a “disappointing” December, January’s footfall comes…
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3 FebruaryAnalysis
What’s Nissan driving at with Brexit plans?
Now that the technical aspect of leaving the EU has happened on paper, we are into the implementation period, but the negotiations will soon get going once again. The pound fell today as in a speech which actually overlapped Michel Barnier’s opening salvo with competing coverage, Boris Johnson reiterated his…
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Jan- 2020 -31 JanuaryAnalysis
The whole Amazon thing is getting scary now
The ‘growth of online retail’ is now so proverbial that the phrase itself is nearly redundant. Is anyone surprised to learn this morning that Amazon has absolutely rampaged through the Christmas retail season, while scores of well-known bricks-and-mortar retailers reported a torrid set of financial results for the same period?…
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29 JanuaryAnalysis
British Airways gets flighty and Starbucks smells the coffee over coronavirus
The business response to the coronavirus situation, which appears to be developing into a serious crisis, continues apace today. British Airways today announced that it was suspending all flights between the UK and Wuhan, the Chinese city where the virus originally broke out. In a statement it said: “We have…
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23 JanuaryHigh Street
57,000 retail jobs lost in 2019
Some 57,000 retail jobs were shed in 2019, according to the latest retail employment monitor from the British Retail Consortium (BRC). In the fourth quarter of 2019, there was a 1.8% year-on-year decline in full-time retail employees, which equates to the loss of 57,000 jobs since the same period in…
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21 JanuaryAnalysis
Global CEOs and the IMF reckon the UK is about to have a good year
It’s not often there is some incontrovertibly positive news about the economy, but today we’ve had some. Audit and business advisory firm PwC has polled 1,600 chief executives, and found that they think the UK is the fourth most important target in the world for companies looking to make investments.…
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15 JanuaryFeatures
How catering to older consumers can help save the high street
2019 was the “worst year on record” for retail according to figures released by the BRC last week, with commentators quick to blame the rise of internet shopping or the impact of Brexit, but the reality can be seen to be much more complex. Across the UK, high streets are…
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13 JanuaryBusiness Bites
Why the debate over Huawei? Just hold off if there’s reason to worry
A debate has been bubbling away in government for the last few years about the safety of using telecoms kit from Chinese tech firm, Huawei, to provide 5G mobile phone networks in the UK. Some are worried that infrastructure made by the firm – which is thought to be very…
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9 JanuaryHigh Street
‘Worst year on record’ for retail, says BRC
Total retail sales decreased by 0.1% in 2019, compared with the 1.2% increase recorded in 2018, making it the “worst year on record” for retail according to the BRC. Helen Dickinson, CEO of the BRC, said this was reflected in the CVAs, shop closures and job losses that the industry…
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