Table of Contents
UK Retail Sales
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- Key points
- Retail sales
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- Figure 1: Retail sales trends, January 2019 – January 2020
- BRC vs ONS
- “Small retailers” versus “large retailers”
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- Figure 2: UK retail sales y/y growth, BRC vs ONS, July 2017 - February 2020
- Inflation
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- Figure 3: Annual percentage change in the consumer price index for selected product groups, January 2019 - February 2020
- Inflation and wages
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- Figure 4: Real wages growth: Wages growth vs inflation, Jan 2016 – Feb 2020
- Consumer confidence
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- Figure 5: Mintel Financial confidence tracker, January 2017 – February 2020
- Looking forward
Sector Focus – Household Goods
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- The sector – what’s included
- The sector in context
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- Figure 6: Major household goods categories, share of sales, 2018
- Figure 7: Spending on household goods products, 2014-18
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- Figure 8: Household goods sectors year on year growth in sales, by quarter, Q1 2016-Q3 2019
- Inflation
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- Figure 9: Inflation in household goods, % change over 12 months, May 2019-January 2020
- The housing market has stabilised in recent years
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- Figure 10: Quarterly UK residential property transactions, Q1 2015-Q4 2019
- Consumer confidence
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- Figure 11: Consumer financial confidence, January 2017- 2020
- Where next?
Launch Activity and Innovations
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- UK: Sainsbury’s launches new ‘On the Go’ concept store
- UK: Asda experiments with 3D technology and electronic shelf labels at Stevenage store
- UK: Tesco launches plasters to match different skin tones
- UK: Primark shows off latest Wellness Collection in first pop-up launch
Headlines for the Month
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- Co-ops
- Grocers
- Other food specialists
- Clothing retailing
- Footwear retailing
- Mixed goods retailing
- Department stores
- DIY retailing
- Furniture retailing
- Book and stationery retailing
News Analysis – Food and Drink
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- Bakers
- UK: Greggs 2019 results shine but storms and coronavirus impact 2020 outlook
- UK: Greggs rolls out vegan sausage roll stalls at Asda
- Co-ops
- UK: Co-op to expand same-day delivery service to over 650 stores
- Convenience stores
- UK: Costcutter and Nisa to feature refillable household products in LocoSoco tie-up
- UK: McColl profits slump as it seeks new debt arrangement
- Grocers
- UK: Asda sales down after ‘mindful’ spending by shoppers at Christmas
- UK: Sainsbury’s
- …launches ‘Nectar Prices’ promo for loyal customers
- …pilots Ecover refill stations
- UK: Tesco
- …takes on Aldi as it pledges to price match hundreds of products
- …to adapt large store bakeries to customer demand
- …zero-waste shopping service Loops enters UK with Tesco tie-up
- UK: Waitrose
- …grows online delivery network as it prepares Ocado split
- …pushes for product provenance in latest ad campaign
- …to launch thousands of new and revamped product as it ends deal with Ocado
- Other food specialists
- UK: Holland & Barrett’s clean beauty store in Birmingham offers refill stations and demo sinks
- UK: Hotel Chocolat boosts sales on the back of new openings
News Analysis – Clothing and Footwear
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- UK: Bleak outlook for French Connection amid continued difficult trading conditions in the UK
- UK: Bonmarché sold to Peacocks
- UK: Boux Avenue drafts in advisers
- UK: Burberry autumn/winter 2020 fashion show will be carbon neutral
- UK: Expansion buoys rising sales for lifestyle brand Raging Bull
- UK: House of Holland drafts in administrators as it seeks ‘additional investment’
- UK: Lyle and Scott launches first womenswear collection in over a decade
- UK: New Look cuts quarterly losses under new CEO Nigel Oddy
- UK: Primark sales rise but coronavirus may be a threat
- UK: Reiss sales rise thanks to new partnerships and rapid global expansion
- UK: River Island joins fellow retailers H&M and Asos in transparency pledge
- UK: Ted Baker in talks to sell off London headquarters
- UK: UK’s first sock vending machine by SOCKSHOP
- UK: Victoria Secret sells 55% stake to private equity firm
- UK: Warehouse shows off first menswear collection online
- Footwear retailing
- UK: Shoe Zone warns of 100 store closures if business rates are not reformed
News Analysis – Mixed Goods
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- UK: Poundland
- …to open 60 frozen and chilled ‘shop-in-shops’
- …expands its kidswear range in Pep&Co stores
- Multi-sector retailing
- UK: M&S
- …extends click & collect cut-off to help grow its online sales
- …to close two distribution centres risking 662 jobs
- …expands mobile self-scanning and payment option to 44 more stores
- …warns landlords over loss-making stores
- …bra-fitting service goes digital
- …extends refill scheme to Manchester in a bid to tackle plastic waste
- Department stores
- UK: Beales
- …announces 12 store closures following administration
- …remaining stores poised to close as no buyer emerges
- UK: Animal rights group Peta buys stake in House of Fraser
- UK: John Lewis
- …underperforms and dampens results across the Partnership
- …launches new labelling to own-brand baby and childrenswear
- …to sell its first men’s make-up brand online and in-store
- …unveils first ever TV ad campaign outside Christmas period
- UK: Selfridges open Hurr fashion rental pop-up
News Analysis – Household Goods
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- DIY retailing
- UK: Topps Tiles warns of sliding profits significantly below expectations
- UK: Travis Perkins posts positive results against challenging market backdrop
- UK: Homebase returns to profits and is set to open smaller formats
- Carpet retailing
- UK: Axminster Carpets secures future
- Furniture retailing
- UK: Emma Mattress annual sales surge
- UK: Uncertainty around coronavirus impacts DFS full-year guidance
- Homewares retailing
- UK: Dunhelm expects full-year pre-tax profits to be ‘slightly ahead’ of analyst expectations
- UK: Laura Ashely to ‘consider all appropriate options’ if it cannot secure funds
News Analysis – Online
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- UK: Head office redundancies at SecretSales under new owner
- UK: I Saw It First launches wholesale with Just A Group as global agent
- UK: Ocado
- …advises customers to order early as it faces ‘exceptionally high demand’
- …earnings fall as sales surge
- UK: SilkFred rolls out ‘inclusive’ clothing with ‘disability conscious’ brand
News Analysis – Other Retail
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- Book and stationery retailing
- UK: Waterstones sales increase boosted by non-book items
- Sports and leisure goods retailing
- UK: Outdoor specialist Montane hopes to reach ‘next level of growth’ under new owner
- UK: JD Sports Chairman slams CMA findings
- Jewellers
- UK: Watches of Switzerland expands Knightsbridge showroom in multi-million pound project
- Shopping centres
- UK: Capital and Regional profits drop as they battle ‘retail headwinds’
- UK: Eco market to open in Camden
- UK: Hammerson sells remaining retail parks at a discount
- UK: Intu Lakeside opens ‘first-ever’ store dedicated to online retailers
- UK: Intu Properties postpone financial results after failing to raise new equity
- UK: Strike a pose at Selfie Factory’s fourth store in the Icon Outlet at the O2
- UK: Westfield owner accelerates disposal programme as UK income declines
- Miscellaneous specialist retailing
- UK: Angling Direct posts rise in revenue despite ‘disappointing post-Christmas trading’
News Analysis – Economy
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- UK: BRC reports retail sales ‘returning to growth’ in January 2020
- UK: February retail sales inch up 0.1% affected by trio of storms
- UK: ONS January results reveal a 3.7% uplift in all retail sales
- UK: Prime Minister set to axe business sector council network
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