Economic Growth
This coverage reviews UK economic growth trends and their impact on the retail sector, focusing on consumer spending, GDP indicators, inflation, and regional performance. Reporting examines how macroeconomic shifts shape retail investment, pricing strategies, and store expansion decisions—offering insights for retail executives, CFOs, and business leaders navigating market cycles and strategic planning.
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Oct- 2025 -17 OctoberDIY
Ikea UK FY sales fall 2.1% to £2.25bn despite strong final quarter
Ikea UK has reported retail sales of £2.25bn for the 2025 financial year, a 2.1% decrease on the previous year’s £2.30bn. The retailer said the performance comes despite seeing sales strengthen in the final quarter, rising 3.3%, with the trend continuing into September 2025. Ikea added that amid limited national…
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Sep- 2025 -18 SeptemberHigh Street
Next CEO warns UK economy faces ‘anaemic growth’ despite HY profit uplift
Next has revealed that its profit-before-tax rose 13.8% to £515m for the half year ended July 2025 as its CEO warned that the UK is facing “anemic growth”. It comes as the group’s revenues rose 10.3% to £3.25bn, helped by favourable weather and business gained during the M&S cyber attack…
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Aug- 2025 -27 AugustSupermarkets
Lidl invests £435m in warehouses network
Lidl GB has completed a major expansion of its Belvedere warehouse in London and begun work on a new site in Leeds, as part of wider plans to grow its UK store network. The discount supermarket has invested £285m in a two-stage development at Belvedere. The first phase, costing £160m,…
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13 AugustEconomy
Number of retail job vacancies lower than pre-pandemic, ONS finds
The number of job vacancies in the wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motor cycles category fell by 10,000 in Q2, the highest volume decrease of any category, according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This category also has 37,000 fewer vacancies than its…
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7 AugustEconomy
BoE cuts interest rates to 4%
The Bank of England (BoE) has cut interest rates to 4%, down from the previous rate of 4.25%, marking the fifth rate cut since last year’s peak of 5.25%. At its meeting today (7 August), the bank’s monetary policy committee (MPC) voted by a majority of 5 to 4 to…
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Jul- 2025 -16 JulySupermarkets
Sainsbury’s boss hails government food security plan
Sainsbury’s CEO Simon Roberts has welcomed the government’s Good Food Cycle plan which aims to build a “thriving food sector”. The government has described the plan as “a recipe aimed at driving a generational change in the nation’s relationship with food”. The new initiative focuses on ten priority outcomes which…
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Jun- 2025 -20 JuneHigh Street
Retail sales see sharpest monthly fall since December 2023
Retail sales volumes fell by 2.7% in May, according to the latest retail sales figures from the ONS, marking the sharpest monthly decline since December 2023. The fall followed a revised 1.3% rise in April and was driven largely by reduced spending in food stores and weaker sales of clothing…
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17 JuneHigh Street
Oxford Street pedestrianisation gets go-ahead
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has revealed that the planned pedestrianisation of Oxford Street has been given the green light. The mayor’s office stated that its consultation showed that around seven in 10 back the Oxford Street transformation plans, with two-thirds specifically supporting the idea of pedestrianisation. Alongside this, major…
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12 JuneEconomy
Retailers welcome £2bn police boost but urge for more action
Retail trade bodies have welcomed the £2bn funding boost for police forces in England and Wales, but cautioned that the investment alone will not be enough to tackle rising levels of high street crime. It comes as Rachel Reeves announced in yesterday’s Spending Review (11 June) that the police’s spending…
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9 JuneHigh Street
One in 10 part-time retail jobs at risk by 2028, warns BRC
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has warned that around 160,000, or more than one in 10, part-time retail roles are in danger of being lost over the next three years. The warning follows a new report published by the BRC which lays bare the threats to retail employment, which has…
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