Recession
This coverage analyses the effects of economic recession on UK retail, focusing on consumer behaviour, business resilience, cost-cutting strategies, and market performance. Reporting provides insight into sales trends, operational adjustments, leadership decisions, and recovery planning — supporting retail executives, managers, and owners navigating economic downturns and sustaining commercial viability.
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Dec- 2020 -10 DecemberAdvice
Three ways retailers can set up retail success and fight fraud this holiday season
This year’s holiday season is set to be the most important retail period in living memory. With UK retail spending during the 2019 peak season exceeding £75.8bn, the stakes this year couldn’t be higher. Not only do retailers need to adjust their strategies to recoup in-store losses due to COVID-19,…
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Sep- 2020 -17 SeptemberSupermarkets
Co-op H1 sales surge 8.8% but profits dented by Covid costs
Grocery chain Co-op saw has revealed that like-for-like sales for the six months of the year increased by 8.8% as the coronavirus pandemic increased demand for consumers shopping closer to home. For the first half of the year ending 24 July, revenues at the retailer also increased by 7.6% to…
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14 SeptemberFeatures
Behind the headline figures: Four reasons for optimism for retailers
The latest retail figures are showing signs of real encouragement for retailers. Retail sales volumes rose a better-than-expected 3.6% in July and are now above pre-pandemic levels. Data from the Office for National Statistics showed that sales rose 2% ahead of a 0.2% prediction by economists, and this was on…
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10 SeptemberAdvice
How the retail experience is evolving in a contactless world
The goalposts have moved for digital customer experience and retailers the world over need to excel online now or risk losing out. Covid-19 has triggered a colossal shift in consumer behaviour and shopping habits after millions of non-essential businesses were forced to close for months with little warning. In the…
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7 SeptemberComment
Rethinking your staffing requirements to survive the recession
With a new CBI survey revealing the highest level of retail job cuts since the 2009 crisis, lockdown restrictions, a lack of consumer confidence and less spending power continues to hit Britain’s high streets hard. While some businesses have remained resilient and are now back trading under revised conditions, a…
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Aug- 2020 -26 AugustNews
Retailers tap into ‘back to school’ feeling to boost sales
Retailers have been advised to tap into the “back to school” feeling to help sales as the recession hits, according to research carried out by eBay Advertising It comes as one in four consumers plan to set ‘‘fresh intentions’’ in September to mark the start of the new school year,…
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18 AugustSupermarkets
Grocery growth slows as market eases out of lockdown
The latest grocery market share figures from Kantar show take-home grocery sales growth slowed to 14.4% year on year during the 12 weeks to 9 August 2020. Kantar said the figures show the market is beginning to move away from the “heady heights” of the lockdown period, with a grocery…
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12 AugustEconomy
UK in recession following 20% GDP slump
The UK economy has entered into a technical recession following a “record” fall in gross domestic product (GDP) during the second quarter of the year. According to the Office for National Statistics, GDP slumped by 20.4% between April and June 2020, compared with the 2.2% drop seen during Q1 2020…
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6 AugustCoronavirus
July footfall bolstered by hospitality reopening
Footfall in retail destinations across the UK was down by 39.4% in July, according to the latest figures from Springboard. Nonetheless, this marked an improvement of nearly a fifth from June, with the month ending with the best result recorded since February. Footfall was reportedly boosted by the reopening of…
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Jul- 2020 -20 JulyCoronavirus Featured Content
Post-lockdown: keeping business afloat
Lawyers predict that 1 in 10 SMEs is set to collapse post-lockdown. This harsh reality means burying heads in sand is not an option and steps – some difficult – must be taken sooner rather than later to protect against the looming slump. Recent news that household names such as…
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