British Retail Consortium

Our 2024 Payments Survey, published today, shows that while cards may be king, cash remains crucial. 📑 Cash usage increased for the second consecutive year. 💷 Fees paid to banks and card schemes rose by over 25%. 📈 Debit and credit cards accounted for over 85% of all spending. 💳 For more details, click the link in the comments. 👇 #payments #card #cash

It was great to visit the billboards in Piccadilly Circus to see our friends at the Retail Trust spreading the message that violence and abuse against retail workers is unacceptable and won't be tolerated. 📽️ Here at the BRC, we are calling on the public to treat retail workers with respect this festive season. 📢 Our 2024 Crime Survey showed over 1,300 incidents of violence and abuse against retail workers every day last year. 📑 Violence and abuse is not restricted to those working in stores, delivery drivers have been subjected to abuse, physical violence, and threats with weapons. It is vital that the government's new standalone offence for abusing, threatening or assaulting a retail worker covers everyone who works in the industry. 📜 For more information on our campaign, click the link in the comments. 👇 #respectretail #retailcrime #Christmas

Festive falter as sales slip. 🛍️ The BRC-KMPG Retail Sales Monitor for November shows sales decreasing last month, mainly due to the movement of Black Friday into the December figures this year. 📉 Low consumer confidence and rising energy bills have dented non-food spending. Retailers will be hoping for a strong festive period, before £7 billion of additional costs hits the industry in 2025. 💰 Read the thoughts of CEO, Helen Dickinson, below and for more detail, click the link in the comments. 👇 #sales #budget

‘I think retail is one of the very few industries where you can really develop and grow from the shop floor, with opportunities to develop into management and even into the boardroom.’ 💬 CEO Interview Series: Episode 15 – John Mewett 🎤 For the 15th episode of our CEO Interview Series, CEO, Helen Dickinson, spoke to John Mewett, CEO of Screwfix. John spoke about his 40 year career in retail, how Screwfix develops its own employees and why the government should #BuyIntoRetail.

🌿 Reflecting on BRC Nature Day: A Step Toward a Nature Positive Future 🌱 Yesterday, we gathered at our HQ, The Form Rooms, for BRC Nature Day, a powerful collaboration between the BRC and RSK Group, focused on how retailers can embark on their journey toward becoming Nature Positive. 🌲 Here's a glimpse of the day's key discussions: 💡 The Need for Urgency: Nature is no longer a distant risk but a present reality. With a 73% biodiversity decline since 1970 (Living Planet Index), action is critical. Business innovation and influence can bridge the "nature action gap," but challenges such as competing demands and limited enablers remain. 🎙️ Keynote by Matthew Gould, CEO of Zoological Society of London (ZSL): Nature isn’t a luxury; it’s our life support. Retailers play a pivotal role in reversing biodiversity loss, with nature-positive solutions complementing net-zero goals. With food systems contributing 30% of climate emissions and 60% of biodiversity loss, retailers can shape sustainable markets and drive meaningful change. 💬 Panel Highlights – From COP to Shop: Jenny Hughes from Holland & Barrett, Stephen King from ASOS.com, Max Rayner from Dunelm and Jenny Hughes from Nature Positive shared insights on balancing climate and nature strategies, navigating supply chain challenges, and building consumer trust. Discussions emphasized the importance of transparency, baseline data, and frameworks like TNFD to align compliance and voluntary efforts. 🤝 Workshops: Interactive sessions explored enablers and barriers to driving change through supply chains, from data collection and supplier engagement to leveraging sector-wide collaboration. 🔥 Fireside Chat with Sainsbury’s: Celia Cole from Sainsbury's talked about how they are protecting and regenerating nature through granular targets, supply chain resilience, and innovative partnerships. 🌍 Looking Ahead: Regulatory drivers like TNFD and EUDR present both challenges and opportunities. Together, we can set the standard for a nature-positive retail sector by integrating nature into decision-making, fostering pre-competitive collaboration, and championing transparency and innovation. Together, we are creating a pathway towards environmental resilience and regenerated prosperity. Read the comments from our partners, RSK Group, below. 👇 Thank you to all participants for the inspiring discussions. Let’s continue to lead with purpose and take the next steps toward a thriving, nature-positive future! 🌿 #BRCRetail #NaturePositive #Sustainability #Biodiversity #RetailInnovation

Consumer Confidence remains weak as Christmas approaches. 📉 The latest BRC-Opinium Consumer Sentiment Monitor, published today, shows that consumer confidence remains low as the festive season approaches. 🎄 The findings: Personal financial situation improved slightly to -3 in November, up from -4 in October. State of the economy worsened slightly to -19 in November, down from -17 in October. Personal spending on retail rose slightly to +3 in November, up from +2 in October. Personal spending overall remained at +17 in November, the same as in October. Personal saving remained at -9 in November, the same as in October. Read the thoughts of CEO, Helen Dickinson, below. For more details, click the link in the comments. 👇

The Scottish Retail Consortium is calling on The Scottish Government to pass a pro-business Budget in December.📜 Last week, the SRC wrote to Finance Secretary Shona Robison to say that the sheer magnitude of the decision in the UK Budget on employer’s national insurance contributions had ‘fundamentally altered the outlook’, as it would add £190 million each year to Scottish retailers’ costs. The SRC says the tax hike will have a disproportionate impact on the retail industry which is Scotland’s largest private sector employer. 💷 Read the comments of SRC Director, David Lonsdale, below. 👇

The end of falling inflation? 💷 The BRC-NielsenIQ Shop Price Index for November is published today and shows prices still in deflation but up on the previous month for the first time in 17 months. 🛍️ Food inflation slowed to 1.8% in November, down from 1.9% in October. This is below the 3-month average rate of 2.0%. The annual rate continues to ease in this category and inflation remained at its lowest rate since November 2021. 🥗 As CEO, Helen Dickinson, outlines below, with significant costs on the horizon higher prices are inevitable in 2025. 📈 For more details, click on the link in the comments below. 👇

Give retail workers the gift of a safe Christmas. 🎁 With Black Friday and Christmas just around the corner, we are urging the public to shop with patience, kindness and consideration during the busiest shopping period of the year. 🎄 Violence and abuse towards retail staff is at record levels. Our 2024 Crime Survey revealed that incidents had risen to over 1,300 a day. We are calling on the government to pass the standalone offence for assaulting, threatening, or abusing a retail worker as quickly as possible and ensure that it applies to all working in the industry. 📜 For more detail click the link in the comments. 👇 #Christmas #retail

Our team over at BRC Learning are excited to announce a highlight of the Retail Masters programme in March 2025 : a fireside chat with CEO of JD Sports Fashion, Régis Schultz. 📅 Régis brings an exceptional breadth of experience from leading retail giants across multiple sectors and global markets. This conversation with CEO, Helen Dickinson will be an invaluable session for those looking to understand the keys to transformative leadership in today's retail landscape. 💬 Key Highlights from Regis's Career: 👉 Expertise across retail categories: Regis has led transformation in home, fashion, sporting goods, and food retail, making him a true all-rounder in the industry. 👉 Digital and multichannel growth: known for his digital-first approach, he has spearheaded multichannel strategies that have elevated brands into industry leaders. 👉 International leadership: from his role at Al-Futtaim in Dubai to CEO roles at Monoprix in France, Regis has a proven record of implementing successful strategies in diverse markets. For more info on the Retail Masters, click the link in the comments. 👇