National Insurance
This coverage explores the impact of National Insurance policies and changes on the UK retail sector, focusing on employer contributions, payroll costs, regulatory compliance, and workforce planning. Reporting highlights how retailers adjust strategies to manage costs and meet obligations — providing insight for executives, managers, and HR professionals overseeing financial and operational planning.
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Jan- 2025 -17 JanuaryEconomy
Retail sales unexpectedly fall amid ‘poor’ supermarket sales
Retail sales fell 0.3% in December according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics. It follows a 0.1% increase in November, revised down from a previous estimate of a 0.2% rise. Analysts had been expecting sales to rise by 0.4% in the run up to Christmas as…
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17 JanuaryDIY
DFS sales and profits rise in H1 amid market share gains
DFS has reported strong trading in its half-year results, largely driven by market share gains, lower operating costs and gross margin improvement, adding it was “cautiously optimistic” for the year ahead, despite inflationary pressures and a tough market outlook. In the half-year ended 29 December 2024, its profits are expected to…
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16 JanuaryNews-In-Brief
Today’s news in brief-16/1/25
The UK economy experienced modest growth in November 2024, with GDP rising by 0.1% following two months of decline. This upturn was driven by a 0.1% increase in services output, primarily bolstered by a 2% rise in accommodation and food services. Consumer-facing services grew by 0.5%, while wholesale and retail…
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16 JanuaryEconomy
UK economy narrowly returns to growth in November
The UK economy narrowly returned to growth in November as real gross domestic product (GDP) increased 0.1%, largely because of a growth in services. The increase comes after two consecutive months of decline, however, real GDP is estimated to have shown no growth in the three months to November 2024,…
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15 JanuaryNews-In-Brief
Today’s news in brief-15/1/25
Inflation in the UK unexpectedly fell to 2.5% in December, marking its first decline in three months, according to the ONS. The decrease, attributed to reduced hotel and tobacco prices despite rising fuel costs, exceeded expectations, as analysts had predicted inflation would remain steady at 2.6%. While inflation remains above…
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15 JanuaryAnalysis
Is New Look right to close up shops?
The tax increases unveiled in the October 2024 budget have further complicated the outlook for retailers in the new year. One such high street retailer, New Look, which has managed to narrow its pre-tax loss to £21.7m in the year to March 2024, now faces the difficult task of balancing…
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15 JanuaryEconomy
NI increase will force retailers to raise prices, BRC warns
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has warned that the National Insurance Increase, set to come into place this April, will force retailers to put up prices after it found that two thirds of CFOs said they will do so in response to the change. The BRC said its survey of…
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13 JanuaryNews-In-Brief
Today’s news in brief-13/1/25
Asda announced a significant overhaul of its operations, cutting 13 regional manager roles and consolidating management of supermarkets and express stores into 22 sub-regions from 30. The changes, driven by poor Christmas performance with a 5.8% drop in sales and a decline in market share to 12.5%, mark Allan Leighton’s…
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13 JanuarySupermarkets
Sainsbury’s boss criticises speed of Labour tax changes
Sainsbury’s CEO, Simon Roberts, has told the Telegraph that the chancellor gave businesses no time to plan for her £25bn tax changes. He said that the decision to increase employer National Insurance from April was “not something anyone expected – certainly, it wasn’t expected at the speed it was coming…
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9 JanuaryNews-In-Brief
Today’s news in brief-9/1/25
The BRC-Nielsen IQ Shop Price Index showed shop price deflation at 1% in early December, up from 0.6% the previous month, reflecting strong discounting tied to a later Black Friday. Non-food prices fell sharply by 2.4%, though food inflation remained steady at 1.8%, its lowest since December 2021. BRC CEO…
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