Discount retailers surged, with spending up nearly a quarter in May, according to the latest monthly data from Barclaycard, which processes nearly half the UK’s debit and credit card transactions. The average transactions fell again, however, as consumers continued to
Marks & Spencer has reported a 3.9% fall in underlying annual profit to £623m, the third consecutive year its profits have fallen. Group sales rose by 2.7% to £10.3bn in the year to 29 March 2014. Like-for-like UK food sales increased
Sainsbury’s has reported a 3.8% decline in like-for-like sales in the 10 weeks to 15 March 2014 – the first dip in 36 quarters. Total sales for the fourth quarter were down 1.5%. Justin King, chief executive, said: “We have
Jam Organic, a UK-based online retailer of organic and fair trade clothing, toys and gifts for infants, children and mothers, claims to be benefiting from a growth in green parenting. Green parents are deeply concerned about the environment and want
There was modest high-street sales growth in the year to January, according to the latest CBI Monthly Distributive Trades Survey. However, fortunes were mixed across the different sectors: grocers and furniture & carpets retailers saw sales volumes rise, whereas clothing
Could Marks & Spencer’s recent share price gains amount to little more than a bounce? Brenda Kelly, chief market strategist at financial spread betting company IG, discusses possible future movements for the stock Reports from the retail sector over the
Sainsbury’s has increased its market share to 16.8%, the highest for a decade, and overtaken Asda as the UK’s second largest supermarket. Reporting interim results for the 28 weeks to 28 September 2013, Sainsbury’s posted a 1.4% increase in like-for-like
Barclaycard’s monthly analysis of UK spending shows that consumer spend eased again in October, up 1.9% year-on-year, as consumers continued to take a cautious approach to managing their finances and saved up ahead of Christmas. This was the first month
UK consumer spending in September 2013 remained well above the rate of inflation for the sixth month in a row, driven in part by strong retail spend as families continued to feel more positive about the future, according to the
Sales in Sainsbury’s convenience stores rose 20% in the second quarter compared with the same time last year, while its online grocery business grew by 15% in the same period. Both helped Sainsbury’s deliver a 2.1% increase in like-for-like sales
River Island has awarded a contract extension to Hermes for the provision of home delivery for clothes, shoes and accessories ordered online. Under the agreement, Hermes will operate as an approved partner for the retailer’s standard delivery service handling significant
Figures from the IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index reveal the e-retail market returned to double digit growth in August 2013, with online sales up 18% year-on-year; double that of the growth rate in July (9% year-on-year). This was led by a return
Consumer spending in the UK continued its positive momentum in August 2013, according to Barclaycard’s monthly analysis of UK spending. Barclaycard, which processes nearly half of all credit and debit card transactions in the UK, said spending grew 4.4% year-on-year in
A fifth (20%) of Brits now buy more items online than they do in store, while a further 18% buy the same amount on the web as they do offline, according to the latest E-Commerce Index from online marketplace, Rakuten. The
Online sales rose by 9% in July, the weakest annual growth since January 2010, according to the IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index. The Index also recorded the first ever negative growth between June and July (-2%), following strong annual growth in
Leading sportswear brand, Adidas, is planning a UK roll out of its own-brand retail stores. Starting with the launch of a new Leeds store this Friday (16 August 2013), Adidas said it will set about expanding its own-store presence as part
Consumer spending in the UK continued to grow strongly in July 2013, according to Barclaycard’s monthly analysis of UK spending. Total spending for the month was up 4.8% on the same month last year, driven by spending on groceries, petrol
Consumers have different digital marketing preferences across industries, according to a new survey released by Lyris, a global provider of digital marketing solutions. The survey, conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), also indicates what consumers want from brands in
Retail sales saw the first rise in five months in the year to July 2013, according to the CBI’s latest monthly Distributive Trades Survey. The survey of 60 retailers saw year-on-year high street sales this month grow at a stronger
UK retail has shown signs of steadiness rather than notable improvement over the past quarter, and quarter three is likely to be a continuance of this trend. This was the overriding view of the KPMG/Ipsos Retail Think Tank (RTT)
Retailers expect sales to pick up next month, after stagnant volumes in the 12 months to June 2013, according to the CBI’s latest monthly Distributive Trades Survey. The survey of 115 firms revealed flat retail sales volumes in the year to
Tesco claims it is making good progress with its plans to improve the shopping trip for UK customers and “Build a Better Tesco”, despite a 1.0% fall in like-for-like sales in the first quarter. Total UK sales including VAT and
Retail sales fell at their fastest rate in more than a year in May 2013, according to the CBI’s latest monthly Distributive Trades Survey. The survey of 69 retailing firms saw the steepest monthly fall in sales compared to a
Supermarkets are doing a better job of communicating with their customers in a meaningful way than other businesses, with consumers rating them well above firms in all other industry sectors, according to the new Customer Intimacy Index produced by database marketing specialist GI Insight. The Index also
Retailers saw sales volumes remain flat in April, defying expectations of growth, according to the CBI’s latest monthly Distributive Trades Survey. The survey, which had 62 respondents from the retail sector, saw little support to sales growth from the Easter
