Omicron

UK GDP slows to 0.1% in February

Gross domestic product (GDP) slowed in the UK as the economy only saw 0.1% growth in February, down from a growth rate of 0.8% in January. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), services grew by 0.2% and was the main contributor to February’s growth in GDP, although this…

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Bira predicts strongest Mother’s Day in 2 years

The British Independent Retailers Association (Bira) has predicted the strongest Mother’s Day trading in over two years. Following the lifting of restrictions early this year, the head of Bira believes this will be the strongest trading period of the year so far as shoppers will be able to hit the…

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13 Spring Statement predictions

With both the global and UK economies coming under pressure from the rising cost of living crisis, which has only been exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, all eyes will be on the chancellor when he makes his Spring Statement speech on 23 March 2022. Here, Christy Wilson, tax associate…

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Footfall strengthens after largest monthly rise since June

With a gap of -20.7% from the 2019 level, footfall in February strengthened marginally from January when it was -20.8% below 2019, according to Springboard. This was driven by a month on month increase of +9.1% which was the largest single monthly uplift since June 2021 and nearly three times…

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Omicron rise leads to significant footfall drop off

Footfall across all UK retail destinations in December was -18.6% below the 2019 level, the worst result since August and a significant drop off from November when it stood at -14.5% below 2019, according to Springboard. It revealed that footfall in December was “clearly impacted” by the rapid spread of…

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Daily testing for 100,000 key workers to be introduced

Up to 100,000 key workers in England will be required to take daily Covid tests from 10 January in a bid to curb the spread of the virus, the prime minister announced last night (4 January).  The PM said the daily testing will target key industries, including food processing, transport…

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December retail sales slow amid Omicron impact, CBI warns

Retail sales growth slowed in the year-to-December to 8%, down from 39% last month, as the impact of the Omicron variant affected trading. According to the latest CBI monthly Distributive Trades Survey, despite the new restriction, retail sales were seen broadly in line with seasonal norms in December, having been…

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Footfall shows signs of Omicron hesitancy

Footfall rose by only 0.7% in UK retail destinations last week against the week before, according to new data from retail expert Springboard. It said that the uplift was derived from rises in shopping centres that saw an increase of 2.3%, and retail parks where footfall increased by 1.3%. Meanwhile,…

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Black Friday fails to boost November footfall

Footfall in UK retail destinations worsened slightly in November to -14.5% from 2019, from -13.4% in October, as Black Friday failed to give a much needed boost. However, this is still an improved result from July when footfall was -24.2% below the 2019 level. Footfall decreased across all three destination…

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