Data news and archive

UK businesses plan price increases as confidence wanes in anticipation of Budget

A new report by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has underlined some worrying developments in the realm of UK business, where confidence is slipping ahead of the incoming Autumn Budget. In the organisation’s ‘Quarterly Economic Survey’, for which over 4,800 UK businesses were polled, around 63 percent of firms said the Chanceller’s autumn...

Retail

UK: Nearly 13,500 retail stores closed in 2024, independents hit hardest

New figures have shown that 13,479 retail stores across the UK closed for good over the course of 2024, an increase of 28 percent on levels from the year prior, according to provisional data from the Centre for Retail Research. This reflected a rate of around 37 store closures a day. Almost half of the yearly figure–7,537 in total–shuttered...

Retail

UK: December footfall rises sharply as challenging new year looms

Footfall across the UK rose in December despite figures painting a picture of shifting consumer behaviour in the wake of a challenging financial year. According to MRI Software, for the five week period ending 28 December 2024, footfall was up 7.1 percent compared to the month prior, and came marginally ahead of 2023 levels at an 0.4 percent...

BusinessFeatured

A deep dive into industry's top performers of 2024

The global apparel industry, worth a staggering 1.79 trillion dollars, stands as one of the most vibrant and fiercely competitive sectors in the global economy. In 2024, the landscape has been shaped by a fascinating interplay of luxury powerhouses, fast fashion trailblazers, and athleisure innovators, each rewriting the rules of success. But...

Retail

UK: Boxing Day footfall takes hit as retailers stay closed

Footfall on the usually bustling Boxing Day took a slight hit this year, reflecting what data specialist MRI Software said could be a “shift in consumer behaviour”. According to the platform’s figures, retail footfall was down 4.9 percent across all UK retail destinations throughout the day. This was compared to Boxing Day in 2023, when footfall...

Retail

US Mastercard report: Sales increase over festive season, apparel leads digital sales

This festive season appeared to be a valuable time of the year for US retailers according to preliminary insights from Mastercard SpendingPulse, which reported a year-over-year uptick in retail sales in the region, with a peak coming in the final five days before Christmas. According to the data, US retail sales (excluding automotive) rose 3.8...

Retail

Footfall rises ahead of Christmas yet remains lower than 2023 levels

Footfall across all UK retail destinations rose for the second consecutive week last week ahead of the forthcoming Christmas, however, figures remained lower than those of the same period last year. For the week to December 22, MRI Software reported an overall 4.6 percent increase in footfall compared to the week prior, with retail parks coming...

Retail

NRF: Shoplifting figures see sharp increase on pre-Covid levels

A new report by the US’ National Retail Federation (NRF) has documented a concerning increase in shoplifting incidents in 2023 compared to that of pre-Covid levels. According to the organisation’s ‘The Impact of Retail Theft & Violence 2024’ study, there was a 93 percent increase in the average number of reported shoplifting incidents last year...

Business

BRC forecasts January ‘spending squeeze’ as consumer confidence declines

New data collated by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Opinium has pointed to concerning forecasts for the coming January, when the council’s chief executive, Helen Dickinson, said retailers should expect a “spending squeeze”. Personal financial situations remained at -3 in December, the same as November, while the state of the economy...

Retail

UK retail sales marginally rise in November as consumers hold back spending

New figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) have shown a marginal rise in retail sales volumes for the month of November, a slight increase that was offset by consumers waiting for discount periods in the following month. According to the data, sales were estimated to have risen by 0.2 percent, following a fall of 0.7 percent in...

Retail

Retail sector loses 225,000 jobs in five years

It is no secret that the retail sector has faced significant challenges in recent years, the impact of which has been reflected in new job figures issued by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). According to the organisation’s data, there were 2.81 million jobs in retail in September 2024, yet on a four-quarter average, this was 40,000 fewer...

Business

UK sees highest inflation rates since March, clothing drives up figures

New figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) have revealed an increase in inflation once again. According to the data, the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) rose by 2.6 percent in the 12 months to November 2024, increasing from 2.3 percent in the 12 months to October. On a monthly basis, meanwhile, CPI rose 0.1 percent for the month,...