-
Worst year for retail in 25 years, says trade body

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) said total sales fell 0.1%, marking the first annual sales decline since 1995.
Sales in November and December were particularly weak, falling 0.9%, the BRC said.
A separate report from Barclaycard found a rise in consumer confidence had failed to boost festive spending.
The payments firm, which processes nearly half of all UK debit and credit transactions, said that consumer spending growth had declined if inflation was taken into account.
Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the BRC, said: "Twice the UK faced the prospect of a no-deal Brexit, as well as political instability that concluded in a December general election - further weakening demand for the festive period.
"Retailers also faced challenges as consumers became both more cautious and more conscientious as they went about their Christmas shopping," she added.
Are these figures too gloomy?
The BRC's figures do not include the entire retail market. For instance, its survey excludes some fast-growing online retailers, including Amazon, which some experts reckon now account for some 20% of online sales.
However, its chief executive told the BBC Today programme she felt the figures did give "an accurate picture".
Ms Dickinson said: "These figures are not an estimate, they are full sales data from retailers that represent the majority of retail sales."
She added: "While it is not 100% of retailers in the country, some businesses that aren't included will also be compensated by those that have gone bust."
The BBC's business correspondent Emma Simpson says: "Figuring out what's going on in retail can be a bit of a jigsaw puzzle, and this is certainly a very large piece, particularly when it comes to reflecting how our biggest, traditional, chains are faring."
What is the difference between total and like-for-like sales?
Total sales figures look at all sales, while like-for-like data compares sales from shops that were open the previous year, stripping out the effects of expansion in a business.
Like-for-like retail sales climbed in December, but that was due to a relatively late Black Friday, the BRC said. Once November, was included to include this distortion, like-for-like sales dropped 1.2% compared with the previous year, it said.
Despite the drop in total sales last year, the volume of sales was still higher than in 2017.
Payments company Barclaycard said in a separate report that supermarket sales contracted by 0.9% in December, while sales at specialist retailers such as toys and gaming stores fell 4%.
However, it picked out some bright spots, noting cinema sales rose by 19%, helped by blockbuster releases including Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and Frozen II. Spending in pubs and takeaways also rose over the festive period.
Which shops struggled last year?
It's been a tough year for High Street retailers with several shops either going into administration or announcing job losses in 2019.
Mothercare UK, Bonmarche and luxury jeweller Links of London all went into administration last year.
Meanwhile, Philip Green's Arcadia retail empire, HMV and Debenhams both announced significant store closures.
source: BBC
You May Also Like
Popular Posts
Caricature
BENEFIT Sponsors BuildHer...
- April 23, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”
opinion
Report
ads
Newsletter
Subscribe to our mailing list to get the new updates!