Economy
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May- 2015 -29 May
Consumer confidence falls in May
Consumer confidence fell in May after holding steady in April at its highest level since 2002, according to new figures from research firm GFK. GFK’s latest Consumer Confidence Barometer decreased three points to 1 this month, with all five of the measures used to calculate the index reporting decreases. The…
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29 May
UK sales boost Signet Q1 results
Jewellery retail giant Signet has reported a strong first quarter with sales up 3.6% on a like-for-like basis in the three months to May 2, 2015. The group’s UK division, which includes Ernest Jones and H Samuel, saw sales rise 6.2% totalling £95.8m. The results also reflect the addition of…
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27 May
High street footfall up 4.4% over bank holiday weekend
High streets have received a welcome boost over the bank holiday weekend, with footfall across the UK up 4.4% year-on-year. This is according to new figures from retail intelligence firm Springboard which found Saturday was the strongest day as families were “out in force” on the first day of the…
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19 May
‘Retailer resurgence’ continues through April
Retail footfall across the UK has continued its recent resurgence with Easter fortnight bringing shoppers to the high street in force compared to 2014. Ipsos Retail Performance, the global retail and footfall consultant compiles the Retail Traffic Index (RTI), which is derived from the number of individual shoppers entering over…
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19 May
UK inflation dips into negative
Inflation dipped below 0% for the first time since records began in April, down to -0.1%, according to the lates figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The Consumer Prices Index has never turned negative in the decades since it was first recorded in 1960. The ONS said the…
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15 May
Footfall dips slightly in April
Footfall in April was 0.8% lower than the same time last year, according to new figures released today by the British Retail Consortium (BRC). This is according to the BRC and Springboard Footfall and Vacancies Monitor which found footfall in April was below the three-month growth average of -0.3%. High…
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14 May
US and India drive global jewellery demand
The first three months of 2015 saw stable gold demand, according to the latest Gold Demands Trends report from the World Gold Council (WGC). Total demand for Q1 2015 was 1,079 tonnes, down just 1% on the same period last year. The WGC said conditions differed from market to market,…
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13 May
Hallmarking figures up 10% in April
The total number of hallmarked articles grew 10% in April following a disappointing March, according to new figures released from all four of the UK’s assay offices. According to the data, which was compiled by the Birmingham Assay Office , there was a total of 810,831 articles hallmarked in April…
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12 May
Retail sales damaged by early Easter
Retail sales fell in April as an early Easter “pulled” sales into March and impacted results, according to new figures released today. This is according to the monthly British Retail Consortium (BRC) and KPMG Retail Sales Monitor which found like-for-like sales decreased by 2.4% compared with April last year, when…
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8 May
Britain’s shop vacancy remains at 13% in April
Britain’s shop vacancy rate has remained at 13% in April, a level which, before March, had not been seen since 2010. This is according to new figures released today from the Local Data Company (LDC) which found that the overall retail and leisure vacancy rate also remained the same as…
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