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8 May 2025

ACT parent company Bira has welcomed the Bank of England's decision to reduce interest rates from 4.5% to 4.25%, calling it a "much-needed boost" for the retail sector, including for cycling...

8 May 2025

ACT parent company Bira has responded to the news that the 144-year-old Beales department store is staging a "Rachel Reeves Closing Down Sale" in its final weeks of trading, with giant yellow...

2 May 2025

Could the UK cycling industry be showing signs of renewed momentum? Following a challenging period marked by falling sales and overstocked inventories, overall trends and sales figures from...

2 May 2025

The Netherlands is set to legalise electric scooters and other light electric vehicles on public roads from July 2025, provided they are registered and display a license plate.

30 Apr 2025

The ACT has welcomed the announcement of a parliamentary inquiry into e-bike products not meeting safety regulations, which has been launched “in context of dangerous low-quality e-bike...

29 Apr 2025

Edinburgh has been named the UK’s top city for bike commuting, with 10.00% of its workforce choosing to cycle to work, according to new research.

28 Apr 2025

The Labour Government’s new Employment Rights Bill is set to be in force this year and the new regulations will impact high street retailers up and down the country.

25 Apr 2025

ACT parent company Bira welcomes the Chancellor's announcement of plans to create a level playing field for British businesses against unfair international trade practices.

15 Apr 2025

Retail Crime Remains Alarming - Bira's Latest Survey Reveals Urgent Need for Action

11 Apr 2025

Bira has cautiously welcomed the Prime Minister's announcement this week on plans to put 'thousands of Bobbies back on the Beat' with a new neighbourhood policing guarantee.

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Mixed picture emerging about Coronation effect on retail

Posted on in Business News , Cycles News , Creative News, Outdoor News

coronationA mixed picture is emerging about the effect of the Coronation weekend across the UK's retail sector.

Figures from MRI Springboard suggested footfall at shops throughout the UK on Saturday was 13.2% lower than on the same day last year.

Diane Wehrle, insights director at MRI Springboard, said the Coronation "somewhat inevitably drew consumers away from stores and destinations as many were watching the proceedings".

However, footfall improved on Sunday - helped by better weather - rising 7.3% on the same time last year, although it was down slightly on the previous bank holiday weekend.

The overall impact of the extra bank holiday on the economy is hard to gauge, as while some businesses benefited, others would have been closed.

Last year, the Office for National Statistics said some firms had seen revenues fall in June after the bank holiday weekend for Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee.

A similarly mixed picture has emerged about the hospitality industry.

Speaking to the BBC, The City Pub Group said that after an "anaemic" Saturday, sales on Sunday had been "really, really strong".

Extended pub opening hours had been expected to provide a £104m boost to the sector, according to the Centre for Economics and Business Research.

Trade group UK Hospitality said it was a weekend of two halves.

The City Pub Group owns 43 pubs across the south of England and south Wales. "Saturday was a washout - the weather was awful and that was reflected in very anaemic sales," said Clive Watson, the group's executive chairman.

"But Sunday was really, really strong," he added. "Despite street parties we were 82% up on this time last year. It's a bit of a relief."

He also said that the first bank holiday in May had been the chain's "best weekend we'd ever had" with an £800,000 turnover.

According to the Centre for Retail Research, about £200m was expected to be spent on food and drink alone over the Coronation weekend, with consumers adding more than £1.4bn in total to the UK economy.

Pubs opening hours had been extended over the coronation weekend.

The chief executive of trade group UK Hospitality, Kate Nicholls, said visitors were focused on London and the Coronation itself for the first half of the weekend, whereas the second half was about communities and a "more normal bank holiday".

"We've seen higher levels of footfall than we would normally expect at this time of year as a result of the Coronation activities going on. In total it could be worth an additional £350m worth of sales," she said.

Businesses in London fared best, she said, with hotel occupancy in the centre of the capital running at 95% on the Friday and Saturday nights. The economic impact of bank holidays was significant, but it was also regional and weather-dependent, Ms Nicholls said.

However, having three bank holidays in May was testing for most household finances, especially during the current cost of living crisis, she added.

"There is a finite amount of spending money that people have so while you'll get an uplift on one or maybe two of them, it's unlikely you'll get it sustained across the whole of the month."

Ms Nicholls also said with the addition of the final of Eurovision on 13 May and the FA Cup final on 3 June, the four weeks was due to be an expensive one for the British public.

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