The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported that retail sales in August rose by 3.3% compared with the same month a year earlier and by 0.3% on a month-to-month basis. This has surprised economists who had expected shoppers to rein in their spending. The unexpected results were driven by a rise of 4.5% in the
A survey by the Nottingham Building Society has revealed that 46% of shop owners blame the closure of local bank branches in the last three years for damaging their businesses, while 24% said it contributed to them going out of business within the last five years. Retailers are also being hit by lower footfall, with
Alan Monahan writes: A month ago I mentioned in my column that the British Retail Consortium was calling for a two-year freeze on business rates. Helen Dickinson, its chief executive, has now reopened discussion about the outmoded tax system and the woes of our industry. She doesn’t believe that a successful transformation can be achieved
Retail Reflections: Why small retailers matter Read More »
June’s good weather resulted in a marginal year-on-year improvement in footfall across the nation’s high streets, delivering the second month of consecutive growth since November 2017. However, retail parks and shopping centres have had ‘an altogether more difficult time’. The overall trend of fewer visits to bricks and mortar stores remains, said British Retail Consortium
Retail news round-up: Footfall and sales; Boost for NEC; John Lewis ‘pilot stores’ Read More »
Alan Monahan writes: Of late, to borrow a line from The Fast Show, I’ve been mostly watching the World Cup … in my study, while working at the same time of course. Yes, contrary to popular belief, men are more than capable of multi-tasking, especially where sport is involved. Such acts of decadence are among
Retail Reflections: World Cup fever; sales, footfall and staying relevant Read More »
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