Inflation
This coverage analyses the impact of inflation on the UK retail industry, focusing on costs, pricing strategies, consumer spending, and operational challenges. Reporting highlights economic trends, retailer responses, supply chain pressures, and leadership decisions to manage margins and demand. Designed for executives and managers, it offers insights to navigate inflationary pressures while maintaining competitiveness.
-
Mar- 2024 -12 MarchHigh Street
Ann Summers profits hit £61.8m in FY23
Ann Summers has reported that gross profits for the 53-week period to 1 July 2023 hit £61.8m, spelling a 3% rise on the £60m reported in the prior year. The lingerie retailer has attributed its performance during the year to in-store sales growing by 12% year-on-year, as more consumers returned…
Read More » -
7 MarchEconomy
Budget will ‘do nothing to turbocharge investment’, says BRC
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has stated that the latest Budget announcement will “do nothing to turbocharge investment and growth in communities”. This comes after Chancellor Jeremy Hunt revealed his Spring Budget without many big giveaways for retail businesses. Hunt resisted calls from business leaders to reduce business rates, reintroduce…
Read More » -
6 MarchEconomy
Chancellor cuts NI by a further 2p as part of Spring Budget
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has announced a further 2p cut to National Insurance, falling from 10% to 8% from 6 April, as part of his Spring Budget for “long-term growth”. The reduction in National Insurance is expected to save the average worker £450 a year, or £350 for those who are…
Read More » -
6 MarchSupermarkets
Tesco raises pay by 9.1% amid ‘record’ £300m investment
Tesco has increased base pay for staff by 9.1%, amid a “record” investment of more than £300m in hourly pay.The supermarket reached an agreement with trade union USDAW that will see the hourly pay rate increase from £11.02 to £12.02. The new rate will come into effect from April 2024. …
Read More » -
5 MarchNews
Today’s news in brief-5/3/24
According to the British Retail Consortium (BRC), total retail sales rose by 1.1% in February year-on-year, attributed partly to February being the wettest on record. While food sales increased by 6%, non-food sales decreased by 2.5%, both below previous averages. In-store and online non-food sales also experienced declines. Despite positive…
Read More » -
5 MarchEconomy
Deal activity in F&B recovered in 2023, Grant Thornton finds
Deal activity in the food and beverage sector rebounded last year compared with 2022, when dealmaking was put on pause due to the emerging cost of living crisis, according to new research from Grant Thornton. According to the firm’s research, there was an uptick in M&A activity across the sector…
Read More » -
5 MarchSupermarkets
Supermarket sales slow as retailers push branded promotions
Total Till sales at UK supermarkets slowed +5.3% in the last four weeks ending 24 February 2024, according to new data released today by NIQ. This is a slight slowdown compared with the +6.6% increase reported last month, a result of food inflation falling to 5%. However, grocery retailers capitalised…
Read More » -
5 MarchEconomy
Retail sales underperform in February
UK total retail sales rose by 1.1% year-on-year during the four-week period ended 24 February, against a growth of 5.2% last year and below the three-month average growth of 1.4%, according to the BRC. The BRC has attributed the poor retail sales to February 2024 being “the wettest on record”. …
Read More » -
4 MarchDepartment Stores
M&S CEO calls for business rates and apprenticeship levy reform
M&S CEO Stuart Machin has publicly called for Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to introduce reforms to business rates and the apprenticeship levy in his upcoming budget. In a post on LinkedIn, Machin stated that the government must do more to understand the importance of retail. He has urged the chancellor to…
Read More » -
1 MarchFeatures
Top security measures to combat shoplifting
Retailers have recently reported that they are increasingly dealing with a problem of shoplifting in addition to the rising cost of living issues and inflation. Police recorded 342,343 shoplifting offences in England and Wales in 2022/23, up 24% on the previous 12 months. Additionally, according to Co-op’s newly published data,…
Read More »
