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31 Mar 2023

Checkout Bira's FREE opening times and social media toolkit downloads for Easter!

23 Mar 2023

The ACT has announced that the annual Local Bike Shop Day https://localbikeshopday.co.uk/ will take place on Saturday 29...

22 Mar 2023

A new 250-mile coast to coast cycle route set to launch in the south of Scotland this summer will be named after Kirkpatrick Macmillan, the 19th century Dumfriesshire blacksmith who invented the...

21 Mar 2023

Data from City Ratings, which ranks global cities according to how cyclable they are, lists Edinburgh as the UK’s top city in 12th place.

21 Mar 2023

Schools are being encouraged to sign up for The Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel 2023. The walking, wheeling, scooting and cycling to school challenge runs from Monday, March 20 to Friday, March 31.

21 Mar 2023

The Walking and Cycling Alliance (WACA) has written to the prime minister urging him to reverse the controversial decision to cut the budget for active travel schemes in England – a move...

16 Mar 2023

Industry experts and trade associations in the retail sector have been expressing their disappointment at the support offered to retailers in the Chancellor’s Budget.

14 Mar 2023

New data shows that a majority of the UK public oppose the rising and unregulated costs British businesses face for simply accepting payments. With the cost of doing business at record levels,...

13 Mar 2023

From saving energy and lighting costs, to using biodegradable packaging and prolonging a product’s lifespan, Drapers Magazine has been looking at how independent retailers can improve...

8 Mar 2023

As the world marks International Women’s Day, the Association of Cycle Traders is among several industry organisations backing a new Diversity in Cycling campaign, a project led by the...

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UK retail sales growth at its lowest since Covid-19 lockdowns ended

Posted on in Business News , Cycles News

Britain’s retailers in September saw their sales grow by the slowest rate since shops reopened after the end of Covid-19 lockdowns, as consumers cut spending in the face of rising energy costs and inflation.

Retail sales increased by 2.8% in September, compared with a 3.6% rise in August, according to BDO's High Street Sales Tracker.

Retail sales

"The actual performance for retailers may be even worse than these results suggest. With rising inflation, data suggests that the actual volume of sales is down significantly while it is higher prices that is driving the growth," said Sophie Michael, BDO's head of retail and wholesale.

Sales peaked at 4.9% in the second week of September and then fell to 1.3% in the third and fourth weeks.

Fashion sales rose 6.7%, while lifestyle sales increased by just 1.2%.

The homewares sector had a disappointing month with sales declining by 6.3%, reflecting belt-tightening by consumers after they spent significant sums improving their homes during the pandemic.

"While the overall like-for-like is not quite going backwards across all discretionary spending categories, it's clear that it's trending downwards,” said Michael.

"In addition, with the pound's current level against the US dollar and euro, retailers that rely on imports are paying more for their products, eating into already slim margins.

"The one bright spot is that with the pound's weakness, the UK becomes an attractive destination for overseas tourists doing their Christmas shopping. However, this is unlikely to provide much of a boost to retailers beyond flagship stores in major cities.”

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