British Retail Consortium
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) plays a key role in supporting the UK retail sector, including jewellers, through advocacy, policy development, and industry standards. For jewellery trade professionals, understanding BRC initiatives helps navigate regulatory changes, consumer trends, and challenges facing the wider retail landscape. Jewellery Focus provides coverage on BRC updates, reports, campaigns, and insights into how its work impacts jewellers, suppliers, and stakeholders across the industry.
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Mar- 2018 -5 MarchRetailers
Retailers ‘want more apprenticeships’ to develop future workforce
New data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) has suggested that retailers want to commit to more apprenticeships in the coming years. In a survey of UK retailers, 86% indicated they would increase the number of apprenticeships they offer in the next two years. In England, retailers are committed to…
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Feb- 2018 -28 FebruaryEconomy
High street banks urged to continue taking in old £10 notes to ‘save’ retailers
Retailers are continuing to hand out old £10 notes despite them ceasing to be legal tender on 1 March 2018. However, the Bank of England has not asked shops to stop giving them as change, which could cause issues as £2bn effectively becomes unspendable. The British Retail Consortium said: “It…
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12 FebruaryRetailers
Retail footfall takes a hit with Scotland showing sharpest decline
Footfall in January decreased by 1.6% year-on-year, showing a deeper decrease than the rate seen for January 2017, according to new figures. New British Retail Consortium (BRC) data showed a drop in footfall across all UK regions, with the sharpest decline being seen in Scotland (4.6 %). Despite footfall falling…
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2 FebruaryRetailers
MP calls for retailers to become more ‘Disability Confident’
The Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work, Sarah Newton, is encouraging more retailers to realise the benefits of employing disabled people. The government has launched a new campaign to get retailers to sign up to its Disability Confident scheme which launched in 2016. According to the latest official statistics,…
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Jan- 2018 -15 JanuaryEconomy
High street sees sharpest footfall decline in four years
New figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Springboard show footfall in the month of December suffered its sharpest decline since March 2013 Total UK retail footfall fell by 3.5% compared with December 2016, while the high street saw a sharper drop, down by 4.6%. Shopping centres suffered a…
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9 JanuaryEconomy
UK retail sales show marginal growth over Christmas
UK retail sales showed less growth over Christmas than they did last year, according to figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC). Retail sales increased by 0.6% on a like-for-like basis from December 2016, which was a decline compared to an increase of 1.0% from the preceding year. Over the…
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Dec- 2017 -22 DecemberEconomy
90% of retailers to ‘struggle’ with upcoming accounting rules
Britain’s retailers look set to emerge as the most exposed to new lease commitments, according to analysis by Aptitude Software, a global financial software specialist. The firm predicts that 90% of UK high street retailers will struggle to comply with the impending lease accounting standards (IFRS 16) which come into…
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Nov- 2017 -23 NovemberCurrent Affairs
Retail associations respond to ‘encouraging’ Autumn Budget
A number of retail associations have responded positively to the Chancellor’s Budget which was revealed yesterday (22 November). The British Retail Consortium (BRC) and NFU Mutual reacted to the announcement that the move from RPI to CPI indexation will be brought forward by two years to 2018, allowing for a…
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Oct- 2017 -11 OctoberCrime
Bank of England launches new Banknote Checking Scheme
The Bank of England’s new Banknote Checking Scheme was launched on 10 October. The Scheme is aimed at cash-handling businesses and promotes banknote checking at point of sale through targeted training. Its aim is to reduce the number of counterfeit notes being accepted and to reduce losses to businesses. Any…
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Aug- 2017 -7 AugustRetailers
Smartphones boost increase in retail searches
The number of international customers searching for UK retailers has increased due to the popularity of smartphones, according to the British Retail Consortium’s Google Online Retail Monitor. The search volumes on mobile phones increased by 26% in the second quarter of the year compared to last year. For all devices…
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