Economy

December footfall rises but still down on 2013

Retail footfall in December showed the best performance since January 2014, but was still down on the same month in 2013, according to the latest BRC/Springboard Footfall Monitor.  Total retail footfall in the UK was up 2.4% on the fall in November, but down 0.7% year-for-year and below the three-month…

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9ct gold jumps by a million items in full year hallmarking figures

The year 2014 marked an overall upward trajectory of the UK’s hallmarking figures, with the number of items marked rising 13.7% overall, to just under 10.4 million items – 1.2 million more than previous year. The standout performer was 9ct gold, which rose a staggering 25.1% to just over 3.6 million items…

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‘Cyberweek’ and clearance sales drive online retail in December

‘Cyberweek’ and clearance sales helped to drive online retail sales in December with non-food products growing 7% compared to the same time last year.  This is according to the BRC-KPMG Online Retail Sales Monitor which found that in December online sales represented 17% of total non-food sales, compared to 16%…

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‘Promising’ year ahead for shop vacancy rates

Britain’s shop vacancy rate dropped to 13.2% in December while the overall retail and leisure vacancy rate remained at 11.8%, according to the latest figures.  Analysis of vacancy rates by occupation type by the Local Data Company showed that leisure vacancy in December was 7.8%, and all (Retail and Leisure)…

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Signet ‘s UK division sees 9.7% Christmas growth

Signet’s UK division, which owns high street chains H Samuel and Ernest Jones, has seen a 9.7 increase in like-for-like sales for the eight weeks ending December 27 – the group’s best performance for 12 years.  In a statement, the Signet said Ernest Jones was the strongest performer with an…

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Shop prices report deflation for twentieth consecutive month

Overall shop prices have reported year-on-year deflation for the twentieth consecutive month, decelerating to 1.7% in December after reporting deflation of 1.9% in November.  This is according to the BRC-Nielsen Shop Price Index which found that non-food deflation slowed marginally in December to 2.8% from 2.9% in November. On a 12-month…

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Pre-Christmas sales see biggest growth since 1988

Retail sales in the run up to Christmas have accelerated at their fastest pace for almost 26 years, according to CBI’s latest monthly Distributive Trades Survey.  The survey of 122 firms covers the fortnight ending December 11 and includes the sales-boosting effects of Black Friday. Grocers saw the strongest year-on-year…

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Changing shopping habits continue to drive down footfall, says BRC

Footfall in November was down 2.4% on the same time last year, down on the 0.8% fall in October and below the three-month average of a 1.4% decline.  This is according to the latest BRC Springboard Footfall Monitor, in which footfall on high streets was down 4% compared to last…

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Small Business Saturday boosts local spending

Consumers across the UK helped support Small Business Saturday on December 6, with 16.5 million people shopping in small independent businesses on the day.  This support from shoppers represents a 20% increase in footfall on last year, with 2.7 million more shoppers when compared to the UK’s first Small Business…

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UK to become largest luxury goods market in Europe by 2018

Luxury Goods retailing in Europe is forecast to reach $150bn (£96bn) by 2018, with the UK set to overtake France and Italy to become to become the leading luxury shopping market by 2018.  This is according to forecasts from retail research agency Conlumino, which says that jewellery and watches is…

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