Retail staff decrease Retailers have now resumed trading as they seek to get business back on track following the forced closures of the pandemic. However, since their return, they now face a new challenge, staff shortages. Recent data shows that in the second quarter...
Due to 5,251 chain stores closing during the first half of 2021. Many independent retail stores have decided to fill the gaps left resulting in the first rise in independent stores for the first time in four years. A new total of 804 independent retail stores opened...
Charity retailers can now access up to an additional £9m in grant funding if certain criteria are met. This is due to the government lifting the allowance limits previously capped by an outdated EU ruling. The Charity Retail Association and Charity Tax Group had...
The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics certainly suggest that the retail sector is slowly recovering since the coronavirus crisis. In July 2020 the volume of retail sales increased by 3.6% and is 3% higher than pre-pandemic levels in February 2020....
All non-essential shops expected to reopen from 15 June The Prime Minister, Boris Johnson has announced that all non-essential retailers in England will be able to reopen from 15 June but added the caveat that this is “contingent on progress in the fight against...
March retail sales decline due to coronavirus lockdown Retail sales in March decreased by 4.3% compared to 2019, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC). Figures from Barclaycard advocated a large increase in supermarket sales as individuals began to...
Contactless spend limit to be increased; COVID-19 On 1 April the spending limit for contactless card payments will be increased from £30 to £45. This is an attempt to reduce the use of paper money during the COVID-19 pandemic. This decision has been made by the...
During this difficult time Hawsons are here to help and support their clients as best they can The Government has announced new measures to help businesses through this difficult time. The first being the tax helpline to support businesses affected by coronavirus. If...
Bank of England Update for Businesses and Households During this difficult time for businesses and households, the Bank of England has put together a list of sites where you can find the latest updates from the Government. The following has been circulated by the bank...
UK consumer confidence increases in final quarter of 2019 With retail sales decreasing in December and 2019 being the worst year for retail in 25 years it comes as a surprise that consumer confidence actually increased by 0.5% in the final quarter of 2019. As...
Retail sales on the rise After a disappointing end to 2019, British consumers began to spend again in January with sales volume increasing by 0.9% after December’s decrease of 0.5%. This increase in sales was much larger than that expected by economists and the...
For the first time in 25 years retail sales dropped in 2019 according to the leading UK retail industry body, total sales decreased by 0.1% compared to 2018. Sales during the Christmas period were particularly weak falling 0.9% in November and December (data from the...