England
This coverage focuses on retail developments, trends, and performance across England. Reporting includes store openings and closures, regional economic factors, consumer behaviour, property developments, and strategic initiatives by national and local retailers. Designed for executives and managers, it offers insights into operating successfully within England’s diverse retail landscape.
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May- 2023 -9 MayNews
Farmison & Co gets green light to restart operations
Sustainable online butcher Farmison and Co has recently confirmed that it would begin a phased re-opening of operations. After a certification inspection at its Ripon headquarters, the Food Standards Agency has given Farmison the green light to restart operations. A selection of heritage breeds will now go on sale online…
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4 MayHigh Street
Nisa to open a further 400 stores in expansion drive
Nisa, the wholesale and independent retail specialist, is set to open a further 400 stores this year as part of its “ambitious” recruitment drive. It comes after the wholesaler opened 473 new stores in 2022 and has seen a strong start to the year with 130 stores having been recruited…
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Apr- 2023 -28 AprilProperty
Retailers cautious to invest as retail vacancies plateau
The overall vacancy rate for retail units in the UK remained at 13.8% of Q1 in 2023, the same rate it was at for Q4 2022, according to data from the British Retail Consortium. However, this figure was 0.3 percentage points better when compared with the same period last year.…
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24 AprilFeatures
Is Labour’s five-point plan a starting point to revive high streets?
Can you tell me about yourself and your experience in the retail sector? I‘ve been working in retail for the past three years, having joined BRC the week before lockdown in March 2020. I work in our corporate affairs team, which has responsibility for running the BRC’s public affairs and…
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11 AprilNews
Waitrose to launch Gail’s Bakery areas in 64 stores
Supermarket chain Waitrose has recently revealed it will add dedicated Gail’s Bakery areas in 64 of its shops in the South and East of England by May. Waitrose will also be doubling the range of Gail’s sourdough breads and other craft baked goods it stocks, adding new lines from crackers…
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Mar- 2023 -30 MarchClothing & Shoes
Primark boosts hourly pay for retail assistants
Primark is to increase the pay of its retail assistants in Great Britain, giving around 26,000 retail colleagues an average pay rise of 12%. The retailer is increasing the rates of pay for all hourly-paid store colleagues across England, Scotland and Wales to £11 an hour and £11.51 in London.…
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23 MarchEconomy
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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1 MarchSupermarkets
Sainsbury’s to shut two Argos depots by 2026
Sainsbury’s has announced its plans to close two Argos depots in Basildon, Essex, and Heywood, Manchester, by 2026, which will impact a total of 1,400 jobs. The news comes as the supermarket chain plans to further “integrate and transform” its general merchandise logistics network in England with an investment of…
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Feb- 2023 -2 FebruaryEconomy
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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Jan- 2023 -27 JanuaryHigh Street
Store Vacancies fall to 13.8% in Q4
The overall vacancy rate improved to 13.8% in the fourth quarter of 2022, which was 0.1 percentage points better than Q3 and 0.6 percentage points better than the same period last year, according to the latest BRC/LDC monitor. This was the fifth consecutive quarter of falling vacancy rates. All locations…
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