Welsh Assembly to support retail sector

The next Assembly Government has been urged to support the retail sector in Wales. In a manifesto for Welsh retail, ahead of the Assembly elections on May 5, the British Retail Consortium called for the next Welsh Assembly Government to support

town centres and to tackle retail crime.

The BRC emphasised the importance of the Retail industry to the Welsh economy. Retail generates 10% of the Gross Domestic Product of Wales, compared with 7% for the UK as a whole, and employs nearly 140,000 people. Retail is the largest private sector employer and of few sectors to have increased employees over the past years of doom and gloom recession.

BRC proposals for the next government include; providing a range of affordable travel options to town centres, championing the importance of the Welsh retail sector and avoiding the increase in the overall burden of regulation.

Director of the BRC, Stephen Robertson says; ‘The numbers speak for themselves. Retail is the engine room of recovery and matters even more to the Welsh economy than to the UK as a whole. Given the right support, the retail sector will help Wales towards a secure and sustainable future.’

‘Retail is not a sector that looks for subsidies. It is naturally entrepreneurial. Even in these challenging times it is creating jobs and investing in growth. We simply ask that the next Welsh Government works with us to provide the best conditions for success.’

This comes after UK labour market figures reveal the private sector has been creating more full-time jobs - for men and women - with ministers taking extra relief from the fact that this has outpaced the fall in employment in the public sector. However, with inflation running at 4%, households will not welcome the fact that the annual growth in average earnings has actually dropped back a little. And with the current pressures on the High Street, it's not good news for retailers either. On average, earnings (excluding bonuses, which are highly volatile at this time of year) are growing at an annual rate of 2.2%, slightly down on the previous month.

Steven Madeley, centre director of major Welsh outlet, St David's in Cardiff, admitted they had expected a tough 2011 but had faith in longer term prospects like investment and creating jobs.