Latest news with #LindaEllett
Scotsman
18-07-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
Scottish high street suffers sales blow as households go holidaying and gigging
'Households are having to contend with a multitude of pressures which is seeing them spend selectively' – David Lonsdale, SRC Sign up to our Scotsman Money newsletter, covering all you need to know to help manage your money. Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Three months of growth on the Scottish high street fizzled out in June as households looked to prioritise holidays and concert-going, new figures today reveal. Industry leaders said Scots were having to contend with a 'multitude of pressures' which had led to them spending 'selectively'. They expressed hope that the downturn in retail sales would prove temporary, as retailers themselves grapple with a 'hotchpotch' of cost pressures of their own. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Releasing its latest sales monitor, the Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) said total sales in Scotland had fallen by 0.8 per cent in June, compared with the same month last year and once adjusted for the effects of inflation. With inflation stripped out the year-on-year decline was 0.4 per cent. June proved to be a bit of a dreary month for Scotland's retailers. A breakdown of the data showed that total food sales by value decreased by 2.3 per cent, compared with June 2024, while total non-food sales nudged up 1.1 per cent, year-on-year. SRC director David Lonsdale said: 'Three consecutive months of growth in Scottish retail sales unfortunately fizzled out in June. This was perhaps less than surprising after the slump in shopper footfall in June, and with households continuing to prioritise experiences, such as holidays and concert-going rather than purchases of products. 'That said, sales of gaming consoles and electric fans performed well thanks to new releases and the better weather. Meanwhile, grocery sales fell back and sales of outdoor furniture and DIY equipment slowed after a strong May. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Households are having to contend with a multitude of pressures which is seeing them spend selectively. Council tax and water bills have soared, inflation is increasing, and shop prices have started to rise. All this is putting a dampener on disposable spending.' Linda Ellett, UK head of consumer, retail and leisure at KPMG, which helps produce the monthly sales monitor, added: 'Retailers will be hoping that the summer buying is not yet complete and that the pace picks up further in July and August as suitcases get packed and the sun hopefully keeps shining.' The high street snapshot came after the latest Bank of Scotland UK sector tracker showed that just three out of 14 sectors monitored had witnessed output growth in June. More sectors raised their prices last month, according to the report, as every area of business continues to face cost pressures. Nikesh Sawjani, senior UK economist at Bank of Scotland, said: 'Our data shows that the growth indicated by the headline PMI [purchasing managers' index] figures is being driven by a handful of sectors. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Although price rises have slowed, they remain widespread. However, businesses still aren't passing on the full extent of their own cost increases to customers as they work to continue being competitive in a challenging demand environment.'
Scotsman
18-07-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
Scottish high street suffers sale blow as households go holidaying and gigging
'Households are having to contend with a multitude of pressures which is seeing them spend selectively' – David Lonsdale, SRC Sign up to our Scotsman Money newsletter, covering all you need to know to help manage your money. Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Three months of growth on the Scottish high street fizzled out in June as households looked to prioritise holidays and concert-going, new figures today reveal. Industry leaders said Scots were having to contend with a 'multitude of pressures' which had led to them spending 'selectively'. They expressed hope that the downturn in retail sales would prove temporary, as retailers themselves grapple with a 'hotchpotch' of cost pressures of their own. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Releasing its latest sales monitor, the Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) said total sales in Scotland had fallen by 0.8 per cent in June, compared with the same month last year and once adjusted for the effects of inflation. With inflation stripped out the year-on-year decline was 0.4 per cent. June proved to be a bit of a dreary month for Scotland's retailers. A breakdown of the data showed that total food sales by value decreased by 2.3 per cent, compared with June 2024, while total non-food sales nudged up 1.1 per cent, year-on-year. SRC director David Lonsdale said: 'Three consecutive months of growth in Scottish retail sales unfortunately fizzled out in June. This was perhaps less than surprising after the slump in shopper footfall in June, and with households continuing to prioritise experiences, such as holidays and concert-going rather than purchases of products. 'That said, sales of gaming consoles and electric fans performed well thanks to new releases and the better weather. Meanwhile, grocery sales fell back and sales of outdoor furniture and DIY equipment slowed after a strong May. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Households are having to contend with a multitude of pressures which is seeing them spend selectively. Council tax and water bills have soared, inflation is increasing, and shop prices have started to rise. All this is putting a dampener on disposable spending.' Linda Ellett, UK head of consumer, retail and leisure at KPMG, which helps produce the monthly sales monitor, added: 'Retailers will be hoping that the summer buying is not yet complete and that the pace picks up further in July and August as suitcases get packed and the sun hopefully keeps shining.' The high street snapshot came after the latest Bank of Scotland UK sector tracker showed that just three out of 14 sectors monitored had witnessed output growth in June. More sectors raised their prices last month, according to the report, as every area of business continues to face cost pressures. Nikesh Sawjani, senior UK economist at Bank of Scotland, said: 'Our data shows that the growth indicated by the headline PMI [purchasing managers' index] figures is being driven by a handful of sectors. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Although price rises have slowed, they remain widespread. However, businesses still aren't passing on the full extent of their own cost increases to customers as they work to continue being competitive in a challenging demand environment.'
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Hot weather sees UK fashion sales ‘perform well' in June 2025
The latest figures were released by the British Retail Consortium (BRC)-KPMG Retail Sales Monitor and showed non-food sales saw a 2.2% year-on-year rise, compared to a 1.9% decrease during the same period last year. In the five weeks to 5 July, in-store non-food sales experienced a similar 2.2% year-on-year growth, compared to the 2.6% drop observed in June 2024. Online non-food sales also witnessed a 2.3% increase from last year, recovering from a 0.7% fall in June 2024. British Retail Consortium chief executive Helen Dickinson said: 'Retail sales heated up in June, with both food and non-food performing well. The soaring temperatures increased sales of electric fans while sports and leisure equipment was boosted by both the weather and the start of Wimbledon. Food sales remained strong, though this was in-part driven by food inflation, which has risen steadily over the course of the year." The proportion of non-food items purchased online remained steady at 36.6% for June, falling marginally below the 12-month average of 36.8%. KPMG UK consumer, retail & leisure head Linda Ellett said: 'Warm weather and the start of the holiday season led to modest monthly growth for clothing sales. But retailers will be hoping that the buying is not yet complete and that the pace picks up further in July and August as suitcases get packed and the sun hopefully keeps shining." She added: "Home appliances and homeware purchases helped retail sales to grow in June, as new homebuyers and those having a refresh in their current home took advantage of summer promotions both in-store and online." Overall, UK retail sales went up by 3.1% year-on-year in June, marking a recovery from last year's 0.2% decline during the same month. Under the online sales category growth rankings, house textiles, health and beauty, and other non-food categories showed growth in June while clothing and footwear were down. Dickinson pointed out the outlook is not all bright and sunny. She said: "Retailers are watching government closely for details of the upcoming business rates reform. If the government includes shops within its new higher rates threshold, then many retailers will be forced to rethink their investment plans. The closure of larger stores would harm the local communities they support, costing jobs and reducing footfall in the area they serve. If government wants to improve high streets and help local communities, they must ensure that no shop pays more under their new rates reforms." The High Street Sales Tracker from accountancy and business advisory firm BDO indicated that fashion sales in the UK outperformed other sectors in June 2025, driven by purchases of summer apparel. "Hot weather sees UK fashion sales 'perform well' in June 2025" was originally created and published by Just Style, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
Fashion Network
15-07-2025
- Business
- Fashion Network
UK non-food retail sales up in June says BRC, Barclays talks of experience-focused spend
The news around UK retail sales hasn't been great of late, but on Tuesday the regular monthly BRC- KPMG Retail Sales Monitor showed a more encouraging development. Retail sales rose fairly strongly in June. In fact, in the five weeks from the start of June to the first few days of July, total retail sales increased by 3.1% compared to a year ago. Back in June 2024 they'd actually fallen 0.2%. Much of the increase was accounted for by food sales, which were up by 4.1% this time (driven by food inflation). But non-food sales managed to increase 2.2% in June against a decline of 1.9% a year earlier. And categories including clothing, footwear, jewellery & watches, and health & beauty were all up, albeit clothing only rose modestly. Given that a lot of the better news recently has been around online retail sales it was good to see that in-store non-food sales rose by 2.2% this time having dropped by more than that – 2.6% – in June 2024. It's interesting that these figures seem to contradict recent reports about football into physical stores with some saying that consumers found it simply too hot to shop during June so footfall was weak. Could it have been inflation that was responsible for the rise? Or could we be seeing a situation where those who did decide to shop were spending more? The online penetration rate – that is the proportion of non-food items bought online – remained at 36.6%, the same as it was a year ago, although very slightly down on the 12-month average of 36.8%. Helen Dickinson, CEO of the British Retail Consortium, said: 'Retail sales heated up in June, with both food and non-food performing well. The soaring temperatures increased sales of electric fans while sports and leisure equipment was boosted by both the weather and the start of Wimbledon. Food sales remained strong, though this was in-part driven by food inflation, which has risen steadily over the course of the year.' And Linda Ellett, UK head of consumer, retail & leisure at KPMG, added: 'Home appliances and homeware purchases helped retail sales to grow in June, as new homebuyers and those having a refresh in their current home took advantage of summer promotions both in-store and online. Warm weather and the start of the holiday season led to modest monthly growth for clothing sales. But retailers will be hoping that the buying is not yet complete and that the pace picks up further in July and August as suitcases get packed and the sun hopefully keeps shining. Meanwhile, Separate figures from Barclays covering consumer spending rather than just retail, painted a different picture. Consumer card spending that also includes hospitality and leisure fell 0.1% year on year and essential spending (including food and fuel) was down 2.1%. But consumers were happy to spend on experiences. Non-essential spending edged up 0.8% as summer festivals, weddings and sports events got under way. And hospitality and leisure spending grew 2.1%.
Fashion Network
15-07-2025
- Business
- Fashion Network
UK non-food retail sales up in June says BRC, Barclays talks of experience-focused spend
And categories including clothing, footwear, jewellery & watches, and health & beauty were all up, albeit clothing only rose modestly. Given that a lot of the better news recently has been around online retail sales it was good to see that in-store non-food sales rose by 2.2% this time having dropped by more than that – 2.6% – in June 2024. It's interesting that these figures seem to contradict recent reports about football into physical stores with some saying that consumers found it simply too hot to shop during June so footfall was weak. Could it have been inflation that was responsible for the rise? Or could we be seeing a situation where those who did decide to shop were spending more? The online penetration rate – that is the proportion of non-food items bought online – remained at 36.6%, the same as it was a year ago, although very slightly down on the 12-month average of 36.8%. Helen Dickinson, CEO of the British Retail Consortium, said: 'Retail sales heated up in June, with both food and non-food performing well. The soaring temperatures increased sales of electric fans while sports and leisure equipment was boosted by both the weather and the start of Wimbledon. Food sales remained strong, though this was in-part driven by food inflation, which has risen steadily over the course of the year.' And Linda Ellett, UK head of consumer, retail & leisure at KPMG, added: 'Home appliances and homeware purchases helped retail sales to grow in June, as new homebuyers and those having a refresh in their current home took advantage of summer promotions both in-store and online. Warm weather and the start of the holiday season led to modest monthly growth for clothing sales. But retailers will be hoping that the buying is not yet complete and that the pace picks up further in July and August as suitcases get packed and the sun hopefully keeps shining. Meanwhile, Separate figures from Barclays covering consumer spending rather than just retail, painted a different picture. Consumer card spending that also includes hospitality and leisure fell 0.1% year on year and essential spending (including food and fuel) was down 2.1%. But consumers were happy to spend on experiences. Non-essential spending edged up 0.8% as summer festivals, weddings and sports events got under way. And hospitality and leisure spending grew 2.1%.
