Inflation

Apr- 2022 -

27 April

Cost of dog ownership rises to almost £250 a month, survey finds

The true cost of owning a dog has risen to almost £250 a month and could add up to nearly £40,000 for a pet’s average lifetime, according to a recent survey from Burns Pet Nutrition. Burns said that the new figures could prompt fears that animal lovers may be “forced…

21 April

Charities

Percuro donates £2.5k worth of pet food to dog charity

Percuro has made a donation of pet food worth £2.5k to Stokenchurch Dog Rescue. Stokenchurch was set up by local residents to help save and rehome abandoned, stray and unwanted pets. With a non-destruct policy, the registered charity has since rehomed “thousands” of dogs, including those impounded by the police,…

Mar- 2022 -

24 March

Industry News

Retail responds to ‘underwhelming’ Spring Statement

Both Bira and CBI have expressed disappointment in the chancellor’s Spring Statement, with Bira having declared it is “underwhelmed with the offerings for independent businesses”. In his speech yesterday, Rishi Sunak outlined a series of measures to help combat the rising cost of living in his latest spring statement, including…

23 March

Current Affairs

Inflation hits 30-year high at 6.2% in February

The Consumer Prices Index (CPI) rose by 6.2% in the 12 months to February 2022, up from 5.5% in January, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). It revealed this is the highest CPI 12-month inflation rate in the national statistic series which began in January 1997, and the…

17 March

Economy

BoE raises interest rates to 0.75%

The Bank of England has raised interest rates back to the pre-pandemic level of 0.75% as it tries to mitigate the effect of the rising costs of living and the impact that the conflict in Ukraine is having on the global economy. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted with a…

16 March

Retailers

Retail sales monitor shows ‘cause for optimism’, Bira says

The British Independent Retailers Association (Bira) has said there is “cause for optimism” after the recent BRC-KPMG retail sales monitor for February 2022 which revealed that UK retail sales increased 2.7% on a Like-for-like basis from February 2021. According to the BRC the performance comes on top of an improved…

14 March

Features

How businesses can meet the changing expectations of pet owners

The last two years have carved out a significant space for digital services in petcare. Virtual consultations and e-prescriptions have been a lifeline for vet practices facing heavy backlogs of appointments, while those isolating could continue with check-ups. This move onto digital platforms has seen a growing appetite from pet…

Feb- 2022 -

3 February

Economy

BoE raises interest rates to 0.5%

The Bank of England (BoE) has raised interest rates for the second time in three months to 0.5%, up from 0.25% previously. The BoE Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) confirmed it voted by a majority of 5-4 to increase Bank Rate by 0.25 percentage points, to 0.5%. Interestingly, it revealed those…

3 February

Economy

Energy price cap to rise 54% from April

Retail bosses are braced for a spending squeeze after it was revealed the energy price cap is set to increase by 54% from 1 April amid a “record” increase in global gas prices, in a move that is set to affect approximately 22 million customers. Energy regulator Ofgem announced that…

2 February

Economy

Shop price inflation surges to 1.5%

Shop Price annual inflation accelerated to 1.5% in January, up from 0.8% in December, according to latest research from the British Retail Consortium (BRC). This is taken from the period covering 1 – 7 January 2022 and reveals it is above the 12-month average decrease of 0.6 and six-month average…