Helen Dickinson

Today’s news in brief-20/3/25

The UK retail sector has faced significant challenges over the past five years, with a quarter of a million jobs lost, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The latest data reveals a decline to 2.84 million retail jobs, marking a reduction of 70,000 compared to the previous year.…

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UK consumer confidence improves in March as Gen Z set to spend

UK consumer confidence improved slightly to -35 in March, up from -37 in February, the BRC has revealed.  According to the latest BRC-Opinium data, personal spending on retail rose to 0 in March, up from -5 in February. Meanwhile, personal spending overall rose to +11 in March, up from +4…

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Quarter of a million retail jobs lost in five years, ONS finds

There are now 249,000 fewer retail jobs than there were five years ago, according to the latest data from the ONS.  While there were 2.88 million jobs in retail in December 2024, that was only because it is traditionally the high point of the year for the sector due to…

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Today’s news in brief-11/3/25

Boohoo has rebranded as Debenhams Group following its acquisition of the high street department store in 2021, which it relaunched as an online-only business. The rebrand comes amid challenges for Boohoo’s youth-focused brands, including Boohoo, PrettyLittleThing, and MAN, which have required heavy discounting. The group reported a 16% revenue drop…

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Valentines Day helps retail sales jump 1.1% in February

Total retail sales in the UK increased by 1.1% year-on-year for the four weeks ended 1 March, a similar increase compared with February 2024, as Valentines Day helped boost sales. During the period, food sales increased by 2.3% year-on-year in February, compared with a growth of 5.6% in the same…

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Today’s news in brief-7/3/25

Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) has agreed to be acquired by private equity firm Sycamore Partners in a deal worth £23.7bn. The transaction is expected to close in late 2025 and will see WBA become a private company, delisting from Nasdaq.WBA shareholders will receive $11.45 per share in cash, with potential…

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Retail parks lead the way as footfall sees small bounce in February

UK footfall edged up 0.2% in February as the performance from UK retail parks helped footfall increase for the second consecutive month, according to the latest BRC-Sensormatic data. Footfall increased by 0.1% at UK high streets, down from 4.5% in January, while Shopping Centre footfall increased by 0.1% in February…

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Shop price inflation remains at 0.7% despite surge in food prices

Shop price inflation remained in deflation at 0.7% in February, after also falling to -0.7% in January, according to data from the British Retail Consortium. However, this comes despite food inflation increasing to 2.1% year on year in February, an increase from the 1.6% rise in January and above the…

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One in 10 part-time retail jobs at risk, BRC says

One in 10 part-time retail jobs, up to 160,000 roles, could be at risk of being lost over the next three years as a result of the rising costs of employment, the BRC has revealed.  The retail body has warned of the impact that both the budget and upcoming regulatory…

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UK consumer confidence drops to new low in February

UK consumer confidence slipped to a new low of -37 in February, amid the worsening state of the economy. According to the latest BRC-Opinium Consumer Sentiment Monitor, the economy worsened for the fifth consecutive month, down from -34 in January. The BRC reported that even Gen Z, despite being the…

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