High Street Retail

Retailers refrain from price rises in March

Retailers did not resort to price rises throughout March, according to the latest BRC-NIQ Shop Price Index, despite rising cost pressures. It comes as high street retailers are competing for reluctant shoppers, who are more likely to be pulled in with seasonal promotions. Mike Watkins, head of retailer and business…

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UK retail up 5.1% in March

Total retail sales in the UK were up 5.1% in March according to data from the British Retail Consortium and KPMG. This is above the three-month average growth of 4.8% and the 12-month average growth of 2.6% for the five weeks between 26 February and 1 April. Like-for-like retail sales…

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Plan B to ‘significantly’ impact footfall, report finds

There will reportedly be a significant impact on footfall in UK retail destinations following the government’s announcement regarding Plan B, which includes guidance to work from home, according to retail experts Springboard. According to Springboard, in Central London and city centres outside of the capital, footfall is currently -20% below…

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Sunak to delay review of business rates until autumn

Chancellor Rishi Sunak is set to reveal that he will delay a final report on the review of business rates until later this year.  According to The Financial Times, the delay of the report, which was set to consider the introduction of an online sales tax, comes as the chancellor…

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Footfall rises despite ‘rule of six’

Footfall across all retail destinations in the UK has risen by 2.4% in the last week, despite the government’s new ‘rule of six’ social distancing measure, according to data from analytics company Springboard. High street retailers saw a footfall increase of 5.2%, while shopping centres and retail parks saw a…

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UK retail sales increase by 4.7% in August

UK retail sales in August have increased by 4.7% on a like-for-like basis from August 2019, according to figures released in BRC-KPMG’s Retail Sales Monitor report for the month. Overall sales increased by 3.9% in the period, in comparison to a decline of 0.4% in August 2019. This is above…

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Usdaw welcomes compulsory wearing of face coverings in shops

Retail trade union Usdaw has welcomed the mandatory wearing of face coverings in shops, but warns that it can only be effective alongside existing social distancing and hygiene procedures.  Earlier this week wearing a face covering in retail shops and supermarkets will be made compulsory from the 24 July. It…

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High street retailers ‘urgently’ need government recovery plan, says Usdaw

Shopworkers union Usdaw has urged the government to agree with employers and trade unions a recovery plan for the high street as “thousands of further job losses are announced”. The union said the scale of job losses across the retail industry is “accelerating” as the high street continues to struggle…

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Footfall up 41% yesterday morning as shoppers returned to high streets

Retail footfall across high streets, shopping centres and retail parks in England increased by 41.7% yesterday morning (15 June) in comparison to last week, and by 51.7% in England’s high streets, according to the latest data from retail experts Springboard. The 51.7% rise in footfall in high streets from last…

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IRC launches ‘We are open’ scheme amid Covid-19 crisis

The Independent Retailers Confederation (IRC), a group of trade organisations representing different independent retail sectors across the UK, has launched ‘We are open’, an online map and directory of independent shops that are still open and operating responsibly during the Covid-19 pandemic.   Under the government’s guidance some high street retailers…

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