British Retail Consortium news and archive

UK retailers see sustainability as a major business driver

A new study analysing the sustainability of the UK retail industry through a survey of British Retail Consortium (BRC) members has found that 85 percent of major retailers outline sustainability as a business driver. The report, ‘The Imperative to Act: Advancing Sustainability Maturity within the UK Retail Industry,’ conducted by BearingPoint,...

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BRC launches manifesto for retail

The British Retail Consortium (BRC), the trade association for UK retail businesses, has launched its ‘Manifesto for Retail’ ahead of the general election, calling on all political parties to take a “fresh thinking” approach for a better retail future. 2023 was a challenging year for consumers, with the ONS showing that retail sales volumes fell...

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July’s rain dampens consumer demand for clothing

The wet weather in July has impacted retail sales across the UK in the four weeks from July 2 to 29, particularly non-food sales, including clothing, according to the latest data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and KPMG's Retail Sales Monitor. The data reveals that the value of retail sales was 1.5 percent in July against a growth of...

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BRC calls on retailers to make ‘meaningful change’ through D&I strategies

A report by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) has found that 66 percent of retailers in the UK have no specific targets when it comes to diversity and inclusion (D&I), prompting the organisation to urge for more “meaningful change” in this area. Titled ‘Diversity and Inclusion in UK Retail’, the report, made alongside The MBS Group, did note...

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Retail jobs fall by 14,000 as retailers attempt to keep costs down

New figures from the Office for National Statistics have shown a significant decline in retail jobs over Q4 2022, as retailers continue their efforts to keep costs low. According to the government department’s Labour Market results, there were 3.12 million jobs in UK retail as of December 2022, down 14,000 year-on-year. Meanwhile, retail...

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Retail vacancies saw marginal decrease towards end of 2022

New figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) found that the UK’s retail vacancy rate saw a slight improvement compared to that of the previous year. In the fourth quarter of 2022, vacancies improved to 13.8 percent, 0.1 percentage points up from Q3 and 0.6 up compared to the same period in 2021. All locations were reported to have seen...

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Christmas footfall highest since beginning of pandemic, according to BRC

Despite a shift in consumer confidence and their move towards essentials amid a cost-of-living crisis triggered by record inflation, footfall during the peak Christmas period was reportedly the highest since the beginning of the pandemic. According to the British Retail Consortium’s Sensormatic IQ data, total UK footfall for 2022 still fell 11.8...

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Card payments soared to 90 percent of retail payments in 2021

The pandemic changed the way consumers pay, with card use accounting for 90 percent of all retail payments in 2021, as the public was advised to use contactless payments. The British Retail Consortium’s (BRC) latest annual Payments Survey reveals that cash usage fell to just 15 percent of all transactions in 2021, down from 30 percent in 2020....

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UK store vacancy rates drop, but rising costs put retailers at risk

A new report by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) has found that overall UK store vacancy rates had decreased to 13.9 percent in Q3, however it warned that rising business costs could put retailers at risk. In its report, the organisation said for this quarter there was a 0.1 percent improvement compared to the last, as Great Britain begins to...

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BRC publishes guideline on secondhand and pre-loved items

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has published a new guideline dedicated to secondhand and pre-loved items in a bid to help the industry work towards a circular economy. The report has been developed with input from retailers, resale platforms, charity retailers and industry experts and outlines steps businesses can take to adhere to the...

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BRC says Transitional Relief system could cost UK retailers one billion pounds

On the final day of the UK government’s consultation surrounding the Transitional Relief scheme, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) is calling on policymakers to end the “downwards phasing” part of the system. According to the organisation, retailers have already warned that failure to fix the “flawed” system could cost the industry over one...

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Curbing retail staff abuse as UK and US cases soar

Since the pandemic, violence against retail staff is at an all time high, with the UK and US seeing a surge in cases. In America, from 2018 to 2020, assaults reported to the F.B.I. by law enforcement agencies rose 42 percent, according to the New York Times. In the UK, abuse against retail staff was already at record high with over 400 incidents...