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.
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Feb- 2022 -8 FebruaryHigh Street
Consumer spending slows in January
Consumer card spending rose by only 7.4% in January compared to the same period in 2020, marking the smallest uplift since April 2021, as spending was dampened by ongoing Plan B restrictions, inflation, and rising energy costs. Data from Barclaycard found that spending on essential items grew by 10.4%, the…
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7 FebruaryEconomy
Consumer confidence falls for second consecutive quarter
The Deloitte Consumer Tracker has revealed UK consumer confidence fell by one percentage point in Q4 2021 to -11%, the second consecutive quarter of decline. Deloitte said the result comes after consumers started to feel the “squeeze of inflation” and pockets were hit with higher household bills. Personal expenditure in…
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3 FebruaryEconomy
BoE raises interest rates to 0.5%
The Bank of England (BoE) has raised interest rates for the second time in three months to 0.5%, up from 0.25% previously. The BoE Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) confirmed it voted by a majority of 5-4 to increase Bank Rate by 0.25 percentage points, to 0.5%. Interestingly, it revealed those…
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3 FebruaryEconomy
Energy price cap to rise 54% from April
Retail bosses are braced for a spending squeeze after it was revealed the energy price cap is set to increase by 54% from 1 April amid a “record” increase in global gas prices, in a move that is set to affect approximately 22 million customers. Energy regulator Ofgem announced that…
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2 FebruaryNews
Shop price inflation surges to 1.5%
Shop Price annual inflation accelerated to 1.5% in January, up from 0.8% in December, according to latest research from the British Retail Consortium (BRC). This is taken from the period covering 1 – 7 January 2022 and reveals it is above the 12-month average decrease of 0.6 and six-month average…
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Jan- 2022 -20 JanuaryDIY
Wickes maintains profit expectations with rise in sales
Wickes has reported its sales increased by 14% in the 13 weeks ending 25 December 2021 (Q4) compared to pre-Covid levels, despite a year-on-year fall by 5%. The group continues to report pre-tax profit expectations of £83m, with full year sales up 13.3% compared to the previous year, and up…
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19 JanuaryNews
Inflation hits 30-year high
Inflation reached 5.4% in December, its highest rate since CPIH stood at 5.1% in May 1992, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). It revealed the consumer prices index including owner occupiers’ housing costs (CPIH) rose 4.8% in the 12 months to December 2021, up…
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17 JanuaryFeatures
Customer service needs for the post-covid consumer
Nurturing customer service continues to be a primary focus of businesses. Even pre-covid, retailers naturally updated their offerings to out-perform competing brands – why the groundwork concerning competition within retailers is said to have entered into discussion as early as the 20th Century; ‘assessing the complexity of competition’, ‘distinguishing its…
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17 JanuarySupermarkets
Lidl reports strong festive season trading
Lidl GB was the fastest growing bricks and mortar retailer for the second year running during the Christmas period, as sales at the discounter increased +2.6% YoY and +21% on a two-year basis. The discounter also achieved record footfall levels in the week leading up to Christmas, with footfall up…
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13 JanuaryClothing & Shoes
Asos to move to main stock market amid sales boost
Asos has announced its intention to move to London Stock Exchange’s Main Market at the end of February 2022 after recording “robust” sales for the four months ended 31 December 2021. During the period, revenue grew 5% to £1.4bn, up from £1.36bn the previous year. As a result, the retailer…
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