Economy
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Jun- 2014 -3 June
Cash use down by 14% over the last five years, says BRC
By Helen Dickinson, director general of the British Retail Consortium Customers are using less cash than ever as retailers make it easier and more convenient to shop and pay. New data reveals that a growing proportion of smaller payments previously made in cash are now being made in other ways.…
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May- 2014 -19 May
Report shows growth in gift cards for start of 2014
Consumer gift card and voucher sales have soared in the first quarter of 2014, increasing by 17 per cent from last year, according to the latest association figures. The increase is above expectations for the quarter according to statistics from The UK Gift Card and Voucher Association (UKGCVA), the trade…
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15 May
April hallmarking figures up by a fifth, 9ct gold up almost 50%
Figures released by The Birmingham Assay Office have revealed that the total number of articles hallmarked for April increased by 20.3 per cent on last year. The figures, which reflect the flows through four UK assay offices, showed the strongest performing metal category was once again 9 carat gold, which…
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2 May
FEATURE: The End of the Gold Rush
The gold price has stabilised, and the slump in gold hallmarking has bottomed out. And now that the commodity traders are losing interest, MICHAEL NORTHCOTT asks whether the scrap-buying craze has caused any lasting change to the market. Two very significant trends have appeared that will likely have a profound…
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Apr- 2014 -28 April
UK economic outlook ‘exceptionally strong’, says CBI
The CBI has announced that the economic outlook for the next three months is “exceptionally strong and broad-based”, and growth expectations are the strongest they have been since the body began recording data in 2003. Pointing specifically to the retail and service sectors, the CBI’s Growth Indicator, published today, said…
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28 April
March retail sales jump 4.2%, says ONS
Overage retail sales across the UK rose by 4.2 per cent in March compared with the same period in 2013, and by a more modest 0.1 per cent compared with February 2014, according to the latest figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS). Highlights from ONS report: In March…
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7 April
Q1 hallmarking figures rise 23%, gold jewellery on the up-and-up
The number of articles hallmarked across the four UK assay offices rose by 23 per cent in the first three months of 2014 compared with the same period the previous year, according to the latest figures. In a statement, the Birmingham Assay Office revealed that the best performers were 9ct…
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7 April
BRC welcomes European Parliament vote on card payment fees
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has welcomed a vote by MEPs for an overhaul of the European payments market, which could include introducing a cap on bank fees charged to retailers for card payments. It is thought that the caps could be set at 0.2 per cent and 0.3 per…
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Mar- 2014 -14 March
Hallmarking figures for 9ct gold rise more than 33%
Figures released today by the Birmingham Assay Office show that the number of 9ct gold items hallmarked across all four UK assay offices rose more than 33% in February, compared with the same period the previous year. After 9ct gold, the next best performing category was sterling silver, which is…
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11 March
Three-month retail sales growth ‘in line’ at 2.8%, says BRC
The three-month average growth in retail sales to the end of February was 2.8 per cent, according to the latest figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC). These figures mean the three-month period was in line with the 12-month trend, which now sits at 2.7 per cent growth. However, on…
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