Consumer Confidence
This coverage explores trends and insights into consumer confidence and their impact on the UK retail sector. Reporting includes survey data, economic indicators, shopper sentiment, and analysis of how confidence levels influence spending patterns, sales performance, and strategic planning. Designed for retail executives and managers, it provides context for understanding demand fluctuations and preparing for market challenges.
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Jun- 2020 -22 JuneCoronavirus
Chancellor mulls VAT cut and could follow up with autumn tax rises
Chancellor Rishi Sunak is reportedly considering cutting VAT in order to help stimulate the economy but could follow the move up with a set of Autumn tax rises. According to the Financial Times, Sunak is planning deferred tax rises and cuts to public spending in his autumn Budget as a follow up to further stimulus…
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19 JuneEconomy
UK consumer confidence rises in June
GfK’s long-running Consumer Confidence Index increased by six points to -30 in June. The measure for the general economic situation of the country during the last 12 months has improved by one point to -59, but is still 27 points lower than in June 2019. Expectations for the general economic…
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15 JuneCoronavirus
Retailers to suffer for ‘some time to come’, says BRC
Footfall across the UK tumbled by 81.6% in May, as the British Retail Consortium (BRC) has warned that retailers may suffer lower footfall and sales “for some time to come”. According to its latest report, the decline recorded in May marked a “shallower decline” than the month prior, as certain…
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9 JuneCoronavirus
Retailers face second worst month on record
May was another “testing” month for retailers, with total sales down by 5.9%, according to the latest BRC-KPMG retail sales monitor. The decline was less drastic when compared to April’s fall of 19.1%, but still marked the second worst decline recorded since the monitor began in 1995. Throughout the month,…
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5 JuneCoronavirus
Consumer confidence slips further amid UK lockdown
GfK’s long-running Consumer Confidence Index has decreased by two points over the past two weeks. In the market research firm’s third Covid-19 flash report, it found that the measure for the general economic situation of the country dropped five points to -60 between 20 and 26 May. Additionally, the outlook…
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3 JuneCoronavirus
Biggest decline in shop prices since 2006
May shop prices tumbled at the fastest rate of decline since 2006, falling by 2.4% against a 1.7% decrease in April. This was “largely” driven by a sharp fall in non-food prices, which fell “sharply” by 4.6% in the period, compared to a decline of 3.6% the month prior. This…
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2 JuneCoronavirus
Card Factory profits slide in full-year results
Card Factory has revealed that its underlying profit before tax fell 11.8% to £67.2m for the year ended 31 January 2020. In the same period, like-for-like sales were down 0.5%, reflecting “weak” consumer confidence and a decline in high street footfall in the second half of the year. Nonetheless, the…
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May- 2020 -22 MayEconomy
Consumer confidence drops further in May
GfK’s long-running Consumer Confidence Index has decreased by one point to -34 for May, as the Covid-19 pandemic continues. The measure for the general economic situation of the country during the last 12 months has dropped seven points to -55, 25 points lower than in May 2019. Additionally, expectations for…
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15 MayHigh Street
Consumer spending slumped over 30% in April
Consumer spending contracted by 36.5% year-on-year in April, according to new data from Barclaycard. The research revealed that spending on essential items declined by 7.5%, which can largely be attributed to a 58.9% reduction in fuel spend. Supermarkets, meanwhile, continued to see a boost in sales – climbing 14.3% as…
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Apr- 2020 -29 AprilHigh Street
Shop prices fall 1.7% as non-food items suffer
Shop Prices fell by 1.7% in April, compared with the 0.8% decrease seen in March, making it the highest rate of decline since January 2017 according to the BRC-Nielsen Shop Price Index. Non-food prices fell sharply by 3.7% in April compared to a decline of 1.9% in March. This is…
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