Retail Insights

The latest labour market data from the ONS shows the number of people in work continued to increase in the three months to July, while the number of people aged from 16 to 64 years old that are either unemployed or economically inactive (not working and not seeking nor available to work) fell compared to the previou... read more

UK gross domestic product (GDP) was flat in the three months to July following a 0.2% contraction in Q2. Services was the only positive contributor to growth, rising 0.2%, while both the production and construction indexes fell, down 0.5% and 0.8% respectively.

Monthly GDP for July grew 0.3% with all but o... read more

The latest BDO High Street Sales Tracker reported that overall like-for-like (LFL) sales rose 3.7% year-on-year in August, from a 0.8% rise in the same month a year earlier. Total non-store LFLs rose 18.6% in the four weeks to 25 August.

Store LFL sales fell 0.1% in August, against a 2.7% decline last year... read more

House price growth continued to rise in August according to the latest data from the Halifax, up 1.8%, year-on-year, against a 2.7% rise a year earlier. On a month-on-month basis, house prices rose just 0.3%, slowing on July’s 0.4% monthly rise.

Halifax’s house price growth continues to diverge... read more

GfK’s Consumer Confidence measure dropped three points to -14 in August, which is seven points lower than a year ago. All five components in the measure fell back in the month, with consumers more pessimistic about the future prospects of their personal finances and the general economic situation.

Gi... read more

Activity in mortgage markets picked up in July according to the latest Bank of England figures, with the monthly change in the additional amount households borrowed rising to £4.6bn. This was the strongest rise since March 2016 driven by a fall in repayments. That said, the annual growth rate of secured lendin... read more

Retail sales (value, non-seasonally adjusted, excluding fuel) rose by 3.7% year-on-year in July 2019, according to the latest figures from the ONS. This is slightly down on the 3.7% rise in the previous month and below the 5.4% rise in July 2018.

In volume terms, retail sales rose by 2.9% on last year (sea... read more

Key data for July 2019:

Visa's UK Consumer Spending Index declined for a tenth month in July, down by 1.2%, marking the longest period of falling expenditure since 2011/12.

Spending volumes fell in four of the eight broad categories in July. Clothing & Footwear reported t... read more

The headline Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 2.1% in July, year-on-year, up from the 2.0% rise in the previous month and above expectations.

The Consumer Prices Index including owner occupiers’ housing costs (CPIH) 12-month inflation also rose, up 2.0%, year-on-year.

Meanwhile, both the Ret... read more

The latest labour market data from the ONS shows the number of people in work continued to increase in the three months to June, while the number of people aged from 16 to 64 years old that are either unemployed or economically inactive (not working and not seeking nor available to work) fell compared to the previou... read more

GDP contracted by 0.2% in Q2 2019 compared to the previous quarter – the first decline in six and a half years – as the economy came under pressure from Brexit uncertainty, car plant shutdowns and the running down of stock built up before the original Brexit deadline in March.

The monthly GDP g... read more

The latest RICS Residential Survey shows that the housing market broadly flatlined in July, as pre-Brexit caution continues to hold back sales.

Prospective buyers are dipping their toes in the market however, with a net balance of +8% of survey contributors noting that new buyer enquiries increased in July... read more

GfK’s Consumer Confidence measure edged up two points in the month to -11 in July, which is one point lower than a year ago. Four out of five components in the measure improved in the month, with consumers notably more optimistic about personal finances and major purchases.

It is too early to judge w... read more

Activity in mortgage markets picked up slightly in June according to the latest Bank of England figures, with the monthly change in the additional amount households borrowed rising to £3.7bn – above the previous six-month average of £3.5bn. The annual growth rate of secured lending remained largely... read more

New buyer enquiries improved somewhat in June following disappointing results for almost a year, according to the latest RICS Residential Market Survey. Interestingly, whilst a number of their measures are stabilising, RICS notes that anecdotal commentary provided a less favourable reading than the data suggests. read more