Wages
This coverage examines wage trends and policies in the UK retail sector, focusing on pay levels, employer contributions, labour cost management, and compliance. Reporting highlights how changes in wages impact staffing budgets, recruitment, retention, and operational planning — offering insight for executives, HR leaders, and finance professionals managing workforce investments.
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Dec- 2018 -18 DecemberEconomy
Consumer spending drags for second month in a row
Consumer spending has dropped by 0.7% in November, the second month of decline following the 0.2% drop in October according to Visa’s UK Consumer Spending Index. Expenditure also struggled to maintain growth momentum in 2018 to date, with spending falling in seven of the 11 months of the year so…
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Nov- 2018 -29 NovemberHigh Street
The Range bans under-18s from shopping alone in its stores
Homewares retailer The Range has banned under-18s from shopping alone in its stores, “due to the products on sale in store”. A backlash began in Wales after two 17-year-olds were kicked out of the chain’s Rhyl store whilst shopping for Christmas presents. The teenagers’ mother, Karen Jayne, took to the…
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26 NovemberClothing & Shoes
Missguided boss slammed by MPs for Parliamentary no-show
Nitin Passi, the CEO and founder of online retailer Missguided, has been criticised by MPs for refusing to appear in the Houses of Parliament as part of an investigation into fast fashion. In a letter to Passi, MP Mary Creagh chair of the Environmental Audit Committee, said she was “disappointed”…
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9 NovemberClothing & Shoes
Fast fashion brands called before Parliament
A number of online only fashion retailers have been asked to give evidence as part of the Environmental Audit Committee’s inquiry into the sustainability of the fashion industry. The chair of the committee has written letters to ASOS, Boohoo, PrettyLittleThing, Amazon and Missguided, published today (9 November), to the online…
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1 NovemberEconomy
Bank of England puts hold on interest rates due to Brexit uncertainty
The Bank of England has placed interest rates on hold following growing uncertainty around Brexit. A vote to leave rates unchanged held by the bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) was in favour of leaving rates at 0.75% by 9-0. Financial markets are currently indicating that rates will not rise until…
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Oct- 2018 -31 OctoberHigh Street
‘Brexit anxieties’ lead to decrease in consumer confidence in October
Growth from Knowledge’s (GfK) long-running consumer confidence index decreased by one point to -10 in October 2018, amid consumer anxieties over Brexit. The market research institute said the lack of confidence from shoppers will “concern retailers” in the run-up to Black Friday, Cyber Monday and the key Christmas trading period,…
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3 OctoberOnline & Digital
Amazon bows to pressure, boosts wages for US and UK staff
Amazon has increased the minimum wage for US staff to $15, after founder and CEO Jeff Bezos said he had “listened to our critics” and “thought hard” about his firm’s response to sustained criticism about its pay levels. Bezos’ announcement means more than 250,000 US and 17,000 UK staff, as…
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Sep- 2018 -20 SeptemberComment
Automation and AI in retail: friend or foe?
We hear a lot about the high street dying, but that’s not quite right. The high street is changing. Automation (and, in the future, AI) is changing the retail landscape. One of the reasons digital retailers like Amazon are so successful is ease-of-purchase, and this is down – in large…
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10 SeptemberHigh Street
August footfall down 1.6% despite some retail park growth
Retail footfall dropped by 1.6% in August despite seeing rare retail park growth in the East and South West of the UK. The figures are according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Springboard’s footfall and vacancies monitor with August seeing a sharper decline than the 0.8% experienced in July,…
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Aug- 2018 -28 AugustOnline & Digital
Amazon recruits ‘ambassador’ Twitter accounts for ‘educating’ people on working conditions
Amazon has recruited approximately 15 ‘ambassador’ Twitter accounts for “educating” people on working conditions in the online retailer’s fulfillment centres. The accounts frequently reply to tweets criticising the company with all replies featuring similar messages regarding issues such as working hours, toilet breaks and wages. https://twitter.com/AmazonFCAdam/status/1033121029391085568 https://twitter.com/AmazonFCJeremy/status/1033586444688941057 Business marketing application…
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