Minimum Wage
This coverage examines the impact of minimum wage policies on UK retail businesses, with reporting on legislative changes, compliance obligations, cost management, and workforce strategies. Insight focuses on how retailers adapt operations, staffing, and pay structures to meet legal requirements while maintaining commercial performance — supporting executives, HR managers, and owners navigating wage regulation challenges.
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Nov- 2025 -28 NovemberEconomy
Half of Britons say Budget leaves them worse off, YouGov finds
Britons view the 2025 Budget as unfair and unaffordable, with only a small minority believing the measures will leave the country or their own finances better off, according to new YouGov polling. Half of those polled say the measures will leave the country worse off, with 50% saying the same…
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27 NovemberEconomy
Budget reaction: Retail split as business rates and import rules shift
The retail industry has labelled the Autumn Budget as a “mixed bag” for retail, offering relief for many shops, but bringing in new costs for others Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivered Labour’s first Autumn Statement, outlining permanent business rates reductions for 750,000 retail, hospitality and leisure businesses and confirming new customs…
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26 NovemberEconomy
BUDGET: Income tax bands frozen, minimum wage to increase, NI-exempt pension threshold scrapped
Income tax and NI thresholds will be frozen while the minimum wage will rise by 50p from April 2026, the chancellor Rachel Reeves said in her Autumn Budget statement today. Reeves announced a series of tax changes in other areas, including salary-sacrificed NI contributions on pensions, as part of measures to…
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25 NovemberElectrical
AO World revenues and profits climb amid stronger membership uptake
AO World has reported revenues of £586m, up 14% year-on-year, with business-to-consumer retail sales rising 12% to £423m for six months ended 30 September. The group stated that growth was supported by rising market share and continued take-up of its Five Star membership programme. Profit before tax also increased to…
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Oct- 2025 -22 OctoberHigh Street
Halfords half year LFL sales jump 4.1%
Halfords has revealed that its like-for-like group sales rose 4.1% for the half year ended 26 September 2025. Alongside this, the company saw its retail sales grow 4% LFL while its autocentres sales grew 4.3% LFL. As a result of this positive momentum the company revealed that its full year…
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Aug- 2025 -14 AugustHigh Street
Nearly half of indie retailers report Q2 sales decline, BIRA finds
Nearly half (46%) of Britain’s independent retailers reported lower sales in the second quarter of 2025 compared with the same period last year, according to new figures from the British Independent Retailers Association (BIRA). The decline was attributed to a squeeze on household budgets and falling consumer confidence as key…
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14 AugustEconomy
UK quarterly GDP beats expectations despite slowdown
UK GDP grew 0.3% in the three months to June, behind the 0.7% it grew in the first quarter, as a result of US tariffs and higher business costs, according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). However, it is better than expected growth as economists polled by…
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14 AugustSupermarkets
Business rates rise could see more than 100 supermarkets at risk
More than 100 large UK supermarkets could reportedly face closure under government plans to raise business rates for the most valuable retail properties, according to the Financial Times. It learnt that the proposed changes, due to be announced in the autumn Budget, could increase rates for premises with a rateable…
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11 AugustSupermarkets
Iceland links food price rises to Reeves’ budget measures
Iceland has warned that food prices will rise as suppliers pass on higher costs linked to last autumn’s budget measures, The Telegraph has reported. The supermarket said the increase in employers’ National Insurance contributions and the National Living Wage was pushing up its suppliers’ labour costs, which in turn were…
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Jul- 2025 -21 JulyHigh Street
Retail insolvencies hit 72,000 as risks mount for firms
More than 72,000 UK retail businesses are now technically insolvent, with over half at imminent risk of closure, according to analysis by accountancy firm Price Bailey. The firm said exactly 72,625 retailers, which represents about 15% of the sector, have negative net assets on their balance sheets. Of these, 37,332…
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