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Post-Summer 'Hangover' Evident In UK Retail: BRC

By Steve Wynne-Jones
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Post-Summer 'Hangover' Evident In UK Retail: BRC

The British Retail Consortium has said that UK retail sales decreased 0.2% on a like-for-like basis in September, as a 'post-summer hangover' impacted the trade, however food sales held up well.

In the three month period to September, food sales increased 2.3% on a like-for-like basis, and 3.4% on a total basis, the BRC said. This is below the 12-month total average growth of 3.7%.

Over the same three month period, non-food retail sakes in the UK decreased 1.6% on a like-for-like basis and 0.6% on a total basis. This is in line with the 12-month total average decrease of 0.5% for non-food, the BRC said.

Challenging Environment

"These figures lay bare the difficult operating environment for the retail industry," commented Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium. "After a challenging August, constrained consumer spending in September has resulted in the weakest sales growth for five months.

"The retail industry pays a disproportionate amount of tax. It represents 5% of the economy but pays 10% of business tax and almost 25% of business rates. A tax system skewed towards high taxes on people and property is contributing to stores closures and job losses and is stalling the successful reinvention of our high streets.

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"Taxes apply to all businesses, so the answer is not additional taxes solely on the retail industry. The Government urgently needs to reduce the business rates burden and create a tax system fit for the 21st century that more fairly distributes taxes right across the economy."

© 2018 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.

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