Office for National Statistics
This coverage explores insights from the UK Office for National Statistics (ONS) and their relevance to the retail sector, focusing on consumer spending data, labour market trends, price indices, and economic indicators. Reporting highlights how ONS releases inform retail strategy, performance analysis, and market forecasting — providing essential context for executives, analysts, and decision-makers in retail operations and planning.
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Jan- 2022 -11 JanuaryFeatures
Diversification – the pandemic lifeline
Business diversification is not a novel notion. Renowned e-commerce website Amazon is said to be one of the early companies that diversified its offerings, transitioning from a marketplace of reading material to the commercial giant it is now. The eruption of coronavirus demanded more innovation from businesses. Many firms across…
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Sep- 2021 -15 SeptemberEconomy
Inflation sees biggest jump on record in August
UK inflation saw its largest jump since records began in August, as the rate spiked to 3.2% in a 12 month period, up from 2% year-on-year in July. Despite the rate soaring past the Government’s 2% inflation target, the Office for National Statistics’ (ONS) claimed that this “is likely to…
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Aug- 2021 -6 AugustComment
How can etailers prevent fraud without impacting on the customer journey?
Over the last couple of years there’s been a huge growth in online sales. Not long ago the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed e-commerce sales increased 46 per cent in 2020, compared with 2019. The fastest increase since 2008. The worry for retailers is that this growth in online…
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Jun- 2021 -30 JuneEconomy
GDP shrinks 1.6% in Q1
The UK’s quarterly gross domestic product (GDP) fell an estimated 1.6% in Q1 2021, a larger margin than the previously expected decline of 1.5%. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed that GDP is now 8.8% below the final pre-pandemic quarter of October to December 2019. Moreover, compared with the…
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16 JuneEconomy
UK inflation hits 2.1% as clothing prices rise
Inflation in the UK rose to 2.1% in May, up from 1.5% in April, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This increase has been fuelled by an increase in consumer spending as the British public comes out of lockdown. Meanwhile, clothing prices jumped by…
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May- 2021 -19 MayEconomy
UK inflation rate doubles for April
The UK’s annual inflation rate has more than doubled in April 2021, according to recent figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This represents a rise of 1.5% for the month from 0.7% in March, with an increase in energy and clothing costs driving prices higher. Furthermore, this has…
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Apr- 2021 -23 AprilCoronavirus
Retail sales continue recovery in March
Retail sales volumes continued to witness recovery in March, with an increase of 5.4% against the previous month, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics. The latest figures reflect the effect of the easing of coronavirus restrictions on consumer spending, with sales 1.6% higher than February…
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21 AprilNews
UK inflation rises to 0.7% in March
Rising fuel, clothing and transport helped UK inflation rise to 0.7% in the 12 months to March, up from 0.4% recorded in February. The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed that the largest upward contribution to the CPIH 12-month inflation rate came from transport (0.44 percentage…
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Mar- 2021 -12 MarchEconomy
UK GDP shrinks 2.9% amid January lockdown
Monthly GDP fell by 2.9% in January as a national lockdown proved to impact economic activity, new data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveals. Figures released show that January’s GDP was 9.0% below the levels seen in February 2020, and 4.0% below October 2020 – the “initial recovery…
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Feb- 2021 -19 FebruaryCoronavirus
Retail sales tumble 8.2% in January despite online boom
Retail sales tumbled by 8.2% in January despite rising online sales, as stores were hit by heightened restrictions amid the third national lockdown. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the value of sales was also 7.8% lower than the previous month, while the overall decline was largely driven…
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