Inflation

UK pet industry writes to chancellor over budget concerns

The Pet Industry Federation (PIF) has written to the chancellor of the exchequer, Rachel Reeves, this week to express significant concerns about the recent Budget and its potential negative effects on the pet industry and pet ownership. The UK pet industry, a £7bn sector, supports millions of pet owners and…

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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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Butchers Pet Care acquired by Inspired Pet Nutrition

Butcher’s Pet Care has been acquired by Inspired Pet Nutrition (IPN), the independent pet food business owned by CapVest. The acquisition will include a refinancing of term debt provided by Blazehill Capital and working capital facilities provided by Secure Trust Bank Commercial Finance. The optimal solution was a combined funding…

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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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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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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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Pets at Home PBT drops 3.2%

Pets at Home has revealed that its underlying profit-before-tax dropped 3.2% year-on-year to £132m for the year ended 28 March 2024. The company said it expected this drop as a result of short-term availability issues as it transitioned to its new distribution centre and weaker performance of discretionary accessories. This…

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Shop price inflation returns to ‘normal levels’, BRC says

Shop price annual inflation eased from 0.8% in April to 0.6% in May, according to the British Retail Consortium’s (BRC) latest shop price index. This has been confirmed to be below the three-month average rate of 0.9%, with the annual shop price growth being at its lowest since November 2021.…

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