Town Centre

Nov- 2021 -

2 November

Footfall surges during half-term break

Footfall across UK retail destinations rose by 11.1% last week from the week before, according to latest data from Springboard. This is just shy of the 11.6% week on week increase in the week before the late May bank holiday. High streets and shopping centres benefited the most with rises…

Sep- 2021 -

8 September

Retailers

Just For Pets opens two new stores

Just for Pets has announced it is continuing its expansion through the opening of two new stores. The retailer has now opened its biggest space to date in Stafford. The 10,000 sq ft store opened on Kingsmead Retail Park near the town centre following a 10-week bespoke fit-out. It features…

Aug- 2021 -

24 August

Retailers

BPF calls for business rates reform

The British Property Federation (BPF) has called on the government to set out a roadmap to annually revalue business rates in a bid to avoid “crippling” high streets, citing that a business rates reform is “long overdue”. It comes as the government’s Business Rates Revaluations Consultation, proposing to introduce more…

Jun- 2021 -

21 June

Trade Organisations

BPF slams gov’s commercial property rent moratorium extension

The British Property Federation (BPF) has come out against the government’s latest commercial property rent moratorium extension. Last week (16 June), the UK government announced a further extension of moratoriums on commercial property owners’ rights until March 2022. Legislation is set to be introduced later this session in parliament in…

Sep- 2020 -

22 September

Retailers

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…

8 September

Economy

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…

Aug- 2020 -

7 August

Retailers

Usdaw warns business rates increase could risk more jobs

Retail trade union Usdaw has expressed “major concerns” over reports that the government is considering increasing business rates for premises with a rateable value over £51,000. The news comes as reports suggest Rishi Sunak is considering increasing business rates in an effort to boost the UK economy. Instead, Usdaw is…

Jul- 2020 -

2 July

Retailers

Increased road closures ‘detrimental’ to high street trade, says Bira

Increasing numbers of road closures are a further barrier for shoppers to return to the high street, says the British Independent Retailers Association (Bira). Bira is raising concerns after members in coastal resorts highlighted the problem when roads were closed as “tourists flocked to beaches during lockdown last week”. Andrew…

2 July

Coronavirus

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…

Jun- 2020 -

29 June

Coronavirus

Guide for ‘considerate shopping’ launched by Usdaw, SRC and the Scottish government

Shopworkers union Usdaw and the Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC), along with the Scottish government have partnered to launch a five-step guide to encourage “considerate shopping”, as retailers are permitted to re-open their stores from today (29 June). The trade unions said the reopening of non-essential shops marks a “crucial time”…