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Bira Urges Chancellor to Safeguard Independent Retail in Upcoming Autumn Statement

24 Sep 2024

The British Independent Retailers Association (Bira) is set to address critical issues facing the UK's high streets at its upcoming Annual Conference, marking the event's return after a six-year... Read more…

Independent Retailers Association says steady inflation at 2.2% provides stability, but calls for interest rate reductio

19 Sep 2024

The British Independent Retailers Association (Bira) has said the inflation rate holding steady at 2.2% in August provides some stability for the high street - but stresses the Bank of England... Read more…

Reducing the Carbon Footprint of Cash Processing – A Guide for Businesses

17 Sep 2024

UK Finance and others who form the Cash Industry Environment Charter have been discussing best practices when it comes to cash deposits, and as a result have produced a short guide on reducing... Read more…

Local crafters band together to sell handmade goods in new shop

17 Sep 2024

A group of crafters have banded together to open a new store in Wickham, Hampshire selling their own handmade goods.
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New data - pharmacies, pubs and banks made up half of the closures on Britain's High Streets in the first six months of 2024.

17 Sep 2024

New data has revealed that a total of 6,945 stores have closed so far in 2024 - the equivalent of 38 shops per day, although if you balance this with new store openings, there's only a net... Read more…

Town becomes hotspot for Taylor Swift fans with themed cafe and shop.

17 Sep 2024

Nestled in the Anglesey community of Beaumaris, a shop and café have built their business around all things Taylor Swift, and fans seem to love it. The Mock Turtle in Beaumaris,... Read more…

Investment in convenience sector hits record high of £1bn

17 Sep 2024

Over the last year, convenience retailers have spent a combined £1bn (up from £646m in the previous 12 months) refitting their stores, installing new energy efficient refrigeration... Read more…

Bira responds cautiously to encouraging trends in KPMG Retail Sales Monitor report.

3 Sep 2024

The British Independent Retailers Association (Bira) has responded to the BRC-KPMG Retail Sales Monitor for August 2024. The report, which can be downloaded here, has highlighted:
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Pet Shop owner nominated for award for food bank donations

2 Sep 2024

Rebecca Harrington, owner of Purdy's pet shop in Coventry, has been nominated in the animal category at BBC CWR's Make a Difference awards for providing pet food parcels to food banks
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Standardised witness statement developed for retailers submitting CCTV evidence to the polic

2 Sep 2024

The National Business Crime Centre (NBCC), in collaboration with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and police forces, has developed a standardised witness statement for retailers submitting... Read more…

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Bira responds cautiously to encouraging trends in KPMG Retail Sales Monitor report.

Posted on in Business News

The British Independent Retailers Association (Bira) has responded to the BRC-KPMG Retail Sales Monitor for August 2024. The report, which can be downloaded here, has highlighted:

shopping street

  • UK Total retail sales increased by 1.0% year on year in August, against a growth of 4.1% in August 2023. This was above the 3-month average growth of 0.4% and below the 12-month average growth of 1.2%.
     
  • Food sales increased 2.9% year on year over the three months to August, against a growth of 8.2% in August 2023. This is below the 12-month average growth of 5.0%. For the month of Aug, Food was in growth year-on-year.
     
  • Non-Food sales decreased 1.7% year on year over the three-months to August, against a decline of 0.2% in August 2023. This is above the 12-month average decline of 2.0%. For the month of August, Non-Food was in decline year-on-year.
     
  • In-store Non-Food sales over the three months to August decreased 2.8% year on year, against a growth of 1.3% in August 2023. This is below the 12-month average decline of 2.1%.
     
  • Online Non-Food sales increased by 1.5% year on year in August, against an average decline of 1.7% in August 2023. This was above the 3-month average increase of 0.3% and above the 12-month average decline of 1.8%.
     
  • The online penetration rate (the proportion of Non-Food items bought online) increased to 34.7% in August from 34.1% in August 2023. This was below the 12-month average of 36.3%.

Bira CEO Andrew Goodacre said: ""Encouraging sales trends in August across all categories give us hope that this is a sign of things to come. No doubt a spell of good weather helped, but it could also be that consumer confidence is slowly returning.

"However, we must remember that higher sales do not always mean higher profits, as we know that many retailers are discounting heavily to move stock. Retailers are sacrificing margins, and that cannot continue in the long term. The high street remains a challenging place to do business, and we urge the Chancellor to retain the retail discount at 75% to give hard-pressed retailers more confidence to invest in growing their part of the economy."

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