Interest Rates
This coverage explores UK interest rate movements and their impact on the retail industry, focusing on monetary policy decisions, borrowing costs, consumer spending, and retailer financing strategies. Reporting highlights how rate changes affect sales dynamics, investment planning, and operational budgets — providing insight for executives, finance leads, and business strategists navigating economic volatility.
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Jun- 2022 -27 JuneEconomy
Cost of living crisis could lead to ‘mild recession’, report warns
There is a rising risk of the UK economy falling into a “mild recession” due to the cost of living crisis, according to the latest economic report from KPMG. In its quarterly report, the ‘Big Four’ accounting firm said that the UK economy faces a number of global and domestic…
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16 JuneEconomy
BoE raises interest rates to 1.25%
The Bank of England’s (BoE) Monetary Policy Committee has voted to raise interest from 1% to 1.25% – marking its fifth rise in a row as it bids to offset the impact of rising inflation. The Monetary Policy Committee voted by a majority of 6-3 to increase the rate to…
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May- 2022 -5 MayNews
BoE raises interest rates to highest level since 2009
The bank of England (BoE) has raised interest rates to its highest level since 2009 – marking the fourth time it has taken action since December. The new rate of 1%, up from 0.75%, is the BoE’s latest attempt to curb the rampant rise in inflation – also at its…
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Apr- 2022 -22 AprilEconomy
Consumer confidence in freefall, says GfK
UK consumer confidence was in “freefall” during April according to the longstanding GfK Consumer Confidence Index. Its index decreased seven points to -38 in April, with all five measures down in comparison to the 25 March announcement. The index measuring changes in personal finances over the last 12 months decreased…
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22 AprilEconomy
Retail sales tumble amid cost of living crisis
Retail sales fell by 1.4% last month as consumers reduced their spending amid the cost of living crisis. This marked a much steeper decline than the fall of 0.5% reported in February 2022, revised from a previous fall of 0.3%. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the biggest…
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Mar- 2022 -17 MarchEconomy
BoE raises interest rates to 0.75%
The Bank of England has raised interest rates back to the pre-pandemic level of 0.75% as it tries to mitigate the effect of the rising costs of living and the impact that the conflict in Ukraine is having on the global economy. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted with a…
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Feb- 2022 -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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Nov- 2021 -19 NovemberEconomy
UK Consumer Confidence improves in November despite high inflation
UK consumer confidence improved by three points in November despite concerns over rising inflation, according to GfK’s Consumer Confidence Index. GfK revealed that four of the index’s measures increased during the period, with a seven-point jump in the major purchase index indicating “good news” for retailers in the run-up to…
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Oct- 2021 -20 OctoberEconomy
UK Inflation falls to 3.1% despite rising fuel costs
UK inflation fell slightly in September to 3.1% despite rising fuel costs, according to the latest figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS). The figure is down from 3.2% in August but still remains much higher than the Bank of England’s target of 2%. The largest upward contribution to…
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Aug- 2021 -18 AugustEconomy
Inflation slows to 2% in July
Inflation slowed to 2% in July down from 2.5% the previous month, according to the latest figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS). It found that clothing and footwear, and a variety of recreational goods and services made the largest downward contributions to the change, with inflation now hitting…
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