The UK’s high street has experienced the most substantial decline in footfall in eight years, which dipped by 6% in March compared to last year’s 1.3% growth, for the same month. That’s according to the latest figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC), which claimed that between February 25 and March 31 2018 there was no growth…
Footfall declines for high streets and shopping centres in December
Footfall fell by 3.5% year-on-year in December, according to figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC). This fall in the number of customers on the high street and in shopping centres represents the biggest decline since March 2013. In a double whammy to retailers, margins were also squeeze by higher costs, as well as cheaper prices…
UK retailers hit by lowest non-food sales growth since records began
Non-food retailers have recorded their worst sales performance since records began, the British Retail Consortium reveals. As consumers opt for outdoor experience over visits to the shops, in-store sales of non-food items rose just 0.2% in October. This is the weakest growth recorded since the BRC began measuring the category in January 2011. Online sales…
Sales shine in September for UK retailers
September welcomed a second consecutive month of relatively good sales for the UK retail sector, with clothing leading the way as one of the best performing categories. Covering the four weeks from August 27 – September 30 2017, the latest BRC – KPMG Retail Sales Monitor reveals on a total basis a 2.3% rise in…
Smartphones trigger rise in retail search volumes
The volume of overseas customers searching for UK retailers has grown in the second quarter of 2017, driven by a rise in smartphone use. For all devices, search volumes maintained year-on-year growth of 7% in the second quarter of 2017, according to the BRC-Google Online Retail Monitor. This was boosted by search volumes on smartphones,…
Shop prices show promising signs of upward trend
Overall shop prices reported deflation of 1.4% in December, a deceleration from the 1.7% fall in the previous two months. A report has shown that non-food deflation decelerated to 1.9%, down from 2.3% in the previous month. This is the weakest deflation rate since June 2015. Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium,…
Footfall decline deepens in November despite Black Friday sales
Footfall in November was down 1% on a year ago, a deepening of 0.9% fall in October. According to the BRC-Springboard Footfall Monitor for November 2016, the month’s decline was just below the three-month average rate of -0.8%. Notably, footfall in shopping centres fell for the tenth consecutive month, with the 2.3% drop in November…
Black Friday drives record-breaking online sales
Online sales of non-food products in the UK grew by 10.9% last month versus November last year where they increased 11.8%, driven in no small part by Black Friday trading. In November, online sales represented 27.6% of total non-food sales in the UK, against 25.3% in November 2015. This is the highest non-food penetration rate…
Footfall falls but spending increases September
Footfall in September was 0.9% down on a year ago, a return to the decline in footfall seen before the 0.1% rise in August. According to the latest BRC-Springboard Footfall and Vacancies Monitor covering the five weeks from August 28 – October 1, on a three-month basis footfall declined by 0.4%. However, despite the dip…
British Retail Consortium warns government of price rises post Brexit
The British Retail Consortium has called on Government negotiators to put consumers first in the forthcoming Brexit talks by ensuring their sights are firmly set on keeping shop prices low once the UK leaves the European Union. In a letter to Liam Fox, the secretary of state for International Trade said that the Government’s strategy…
