Economy
-
Apr- 2015 -8 April
Shop prices fall to record low in March
Shop prices fell to a record low in March as overall shop prices reported deflation for the 23rd consecutive month, with retail prices 2.1% lower than a year earlier. This is according to the latest BRC-Nielsen Shop Price Index which found that overall shop prices had dropped even further than…
Read More » -
1 April
Polished diamond prices fall in March
Polished diamond prices softened in March as trading volumes were restricted by weak demand, according to the latest report from Rapaport. Diamond market sentiment was “weak” throughout the first quarter, with jewellers avoiding large inventory purchases and buying focused on satisfying specific demand to fill existing orders. The RapNet Diamond…
Read More » -
Mar- 2015 -31 March
Retail footfall to jump 4.7% over Easter weekend
Retail footfall is set to increase by 4.7% over the Easter weekend compared to the same time last year, according to new figures released today by Springboard. Easter weekend is two weeks earlier than last year and falls just after a national payday, putting consumers in a strong position to…
Read More » -
26 March
Record $81bn diamond jewellery demand in 2014
Global demand for diamond jewellery hit $81 billion in 2014, a 3% increase compared with the previous year and a record high. This is according to new industry insight data published today by The De Beers Group of Companies. The data showed there was positive growth in consumer demand for…
Read More » -
19 March
BUDGET: BRC welcomes Osborne rates review, NI abolition for under-21s
The Chancellor has used his last budget of this Parliament to reconfirm his commitment to carry out the most “far-reaching” and “radical” review into the business rates system in a generation. The government first revealed that it would carry out a “comprehensive review” of the current outdated system during last…
Read More » -
18 March
Firms to ‘overpay £221m in business rates’
More than 110,000 firms in England and Wales are likely to miss 31 March deadline for appeals over business rates, and at least £221 million in potential relief will lie unclaimed. This is according to CBRE, the commercial property and real estate services advisor, which conducted research into the “scramble to…
Read More » -
16 March
Net loss of UK stores almost triples in 2014
Nearly three times as many shops disappeared from UK high streets last year compared with 2013, according to new figures released today. The research from PwC, compiled by the Local Data Company (LDC), found that 5,839 stores closed in 2014 compared to 4,852 openings. This equates to a net reductions…
Read More » -
13 March
February footfall figures dip marginally
Footfall in February was 0.5% lower than a year ago, however it marked an improvement on the 1.2% fall in January. This is according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC)-Springboard Footfall and Vacancies Monitor which found the decline was above the three-month average of -0.8% and the best overall performance…
Read More » -
11 March
Stable footfall growth established for UK retailers
UK retail fall rose for the third consecutive month in February, the longest singular period of year-on-year growth since 2007. This is according to the Retail Traffic Index (RTI) from global retail and footfall consultant Ipsos Retail Performance, which is derived from the number of individual shoppers entering over 4,000…
Read More » -
11 March
Hallmarking figures climb in February
The total number of articles hallmarked across all four of the UK’s assay offices saw a 7.9% increase in February, compared with the same month last year. According to the data (compiled by the Birmingham Assay Office), there was a total of 55,419 more articles hallmarked in February this year…
Read More »
