Consumer Confidence

This coverage examines consumer confidence trends and their impact on the UK petcare industry, providing analysis relevant to retailers, wholesalers, distributors, and supply chain operators. Pet Gazette reports on market research, economic indicators, and spending patterns, alongside case studies from pet businesses adapting to shifts in consumer sentiment. Our coverage helps pet trade professionals assess demand levels, forecast sales, and adjust strategies to align with changing consumer confidence.

May- 2021 -

21 May

Economy

Consumer confidence jumps six points in May

Consumer confidence in the UK has increased by six points to -9 in May 2021, according to GfK’s Consumer Confidence Index. The market research company primarily attributed this to the easing of lockdown restrictions and vaccine rollout, which it believes gave the country’s retail sector a much-needed boost. While respondents…
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13 May

Economy

Pet stores report strongest April sales growth, Barclaycard finds

Pet stores and veterinarians saw the strongest sales growth out of any retail group in the specialist retailer category, according to Barclaycard’s report into consumer spending in April. Both vets and pet stores posted a 32.4% rise in sales over the period, compared to two years ago. In comparison, the…
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Apr- 2021 -

27 April

Economy

Consumer confidence rises due to ‘roadmap’ out of lockdown

During the first three months of 2021, consumer confidence saw a record quarterly rise thanks to the government’s “roadmap” out of lockdown, according to the latest Deloitte Consumer Tracker. In the firm’s survey of 3,000 UK consumers between 19 and 22 March 2021, while most of the country was still…
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Mar- 2021 -

4 March

Retailing

February footfall rises across all destinations despite lockdown

Footfall across UK retail destinations rose by 16% in February against the previous month, despite the continuation of lockdown and ongoing restrictions on non-essential retail. According to Springboard’s latest footfall monitor, this marks the largest month-on-month increase for February since its footfall data first became available in 2009. Footfall rose…
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Feb- 2021 -

9 February

Retailers

January retail sales slump to lowest level since May 2020

January saw retail sales growth decline to its lowest level since May of last year, figures by the BRC and KPMG show. According to the pair’s sales monitor, total retail sales dropped by 1.3% in January compared to 0.4% in January 2020 as national lockdown measures continue to disrupt trading. …
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Aug- 2020 -

5 August

Features

Barking up the right tree

Prior to COVID-19 completely changing the way we, as consumers behave, the pet industry was leading in terms of innovation, cross-sector development and retail growth. One of the industry leaders, Pets at Home, reported record sales for year ending 26th March 2020, exceeding the £1bn mark. Pet food brands large…
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Jul- 2020 -

3 July

Economy

Consumer confidence increases in June

GfK’s fourth Covid-19 flash report has revealed Consumer Confidence Index increased by three points to -27 over the past two weeks. Joe Staton, GfK‘s client strategy director, said after the recent “near-historic low” of -36 for the Consumer Confidence Barometer last month, there are some early signs of improvement across most measures…
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Jun- 2020 -

30 June

Coronavirus

Reopening is ‘no magic bullet’ for retail, says BRC

Reopening is “no magic bullet” for retail, the British Retail Consortium has warned despite UK footfall improving since lockdown restrictions were lifted earlier this month. The BRC’s footfall tracker found that UK footfall decreased 53.4% year-on-year during the second week of reopening in England and NI. This is compared to a decrease of…
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22 June

Industry News

Chancellor mulls VAT cut and could follow up with autumn tax rises

Chancellor Rishi Sunak is reportedly considering cutting VAT in order to help stimulate the economy but could follow the move up with a set of Autumn tax rises. According to the Financial Times, Sunak is planning deferred tax rises and cuts to public spending in his autumn Budget as a follow up to further stimulus…
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15 June

Industry News

Retailers to suffer for ‘some time to come’, says BRC

Footfall across the UK tumbled by 81.6% in May, as the British Retail Consortium (BRC) has warned that retailers may suffer lower footfall and sales “for some time to come”. According to its latest report, the decline recorded in May marked a “shallower decline” than the month prior, as certain…
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