Economy

Bank of England cuts interest rates to 4.75%

The Bank of England has cut interest rates for the second time this year, with rates now cut to 4.75%. The bank voted by a majority of 8–1 to reduce Bank Rate by 0.25 percentage points to 4.75%. One member preferred to maintain the previous rate of 5%. It had…

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Budget: Increases to employers’ NI and minimum wage

The Chancellor Rachel Reeves has increased Employers’ National Insurance contributions in a bid to help raise as much as £40bn in taxes, pledging to also boost long-term growth and “mark an end to short term-ism” as part of Labour’s first budget since it came into power. Employers’ National Insurance contributions…

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BoE holds interest rates at 5%

The Bank of England (BoE) has decided to hold interest rates at 5% this month, having lowered them for the first time in four years in August. The bank voted by a majority of 8-1 to keep the rate the same in a bid to help “sustain growth and employment”.…

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Retail sales jump 0.5% in July

UK Total retail sales increased by 0.5% year on year in July, against a growth of 1.5% in July 2023, amid improved performance from clothing as shoppers enjoyed the summer weather, according to the latest figures from the KPMG-BRC retail sales monitor. This was above the three-month average growth of…

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BoE cuts interest rates for first time in 4 years

The Bank of England (BoE) has cut interest rates for the first time in four years, with the rate falling to 5%. The bank voted by a majority of 5–4 to reduce the rate by 0.25 percentage points to 5%, marking the first fall in inflation since March 2020, where…

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Global pet industry to grow to $500bn in revenue by 2030, BI finds

The global pet industry will expand by more than 45% over the next six years, surpassing $500bn (£386.8bn) by 2030, according to a new report from Bloomberg Intelligence (BI). The surge will be driven by increasing pet ownership, particularly in emerging markets like China, robust sales in pet food, strong…

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Taylor Swift and Euros boost footfall amid damp June

Taylor Swift’s UK tour and the Euros helped strengthen footfall during a very wet June as total UK footfall decreased by 2.3% in June (YoY), up from -3.6% in May, according to the latest figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC). On a segment basis, high street footfall decreased by…

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UK retail sales rose 2.9% in May

UK retail sales volumes rose by 2.9% in May 2024, following a fall of 1.8% in April 2024, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Sales volumes rose across most sectors, with clothing retailers and furniture stores rebounding following poor weather in April. More broadly, sales volumes rose by…

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BoE holds interest rates for 7th consecutive month

Interest rates have remained unchanged at 5.25% for the seventh consecutive month, the Bank of England has announced. The bank’s MPC voted by a majority of 7–2 to maintain the rate, despite inflation hitting its target and falling to 2% in May. UK inflation hit its target for the first…

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Labour vows to overhaul business rates system

The Labour party has vowed to overhaul the current business rates system should it be victorious in the general election. The party stated that it would replace the current system with a new system that will “level the playing field between the high street and online giants”. Shadow chancellor Rachel…

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