Latest BRC-OpiniumResearch Consumer Sentiment Monitor.⚠️

Consumer confidence remains under pressure 📉

• Economy outlook stuck at -53 (record low)
• Personal finances fall to -21 (new low)

Rising costs + global uncertainty continue to squeeze households.

#Economy #Inflation

BRC Economist, @harvirdhillon.bsky.social, has responded to the latest ONS Consumer Price Index. 💬

⛽️Fuel was the main driver of the headline rise.

⚠️Chancellor must take immediate action to support industry to mitigate the worst of the expected food inflation.⚠️

#retail

📢BRC Director of Food and Sustainability, Andrew Opie, spoke to the EFRA Committee yesterday about the impact the conflict in the Middle East is having on food retailers and their customers and what Government can do to mitigate rising food inflation.✅

Deputy Head of the SRC, Ewan Macdonald-Russell, has responded to plans from The SNP to place a cap on food prices.👇

The latest BRC - @kpmguk.bsky.social Retail Sales Monitor shows a strong uplift in UK sales, driven largely by an early Easter. 🐣

📈 Total retail sales rose +3.6%
🥗 Food sales rose +6.8% year

⚠️BRC CEO, Helen Dickinson, warns of the damage the Middle East conflict is doing to the industry.⚠️

‘Inflationary pressures created by war are very much alive’ The conflict in the Middle East is beyond the government's control, but it can adapt domestic policies to address effects such as rising costs, says BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson

✍ In her latest column for @retailweek.bsky.social, BRC CEO, Helen Dickinson, urges Government to adapt domestic policies to ease the burden being put on retailers by the conflict in the Middle East.

#retail #energy

www.retail-week.com/opinion/infl...

Footfall was underwhelming in March despite an early Easter.😕

In light of the conflict in the Middle East, BRC CEO, Helen Dickinson, has urged Government to look at what levers it can pull to ease cost pressures on retail so they can invest more in driving shopper traffic up.📢

You can’t climb a jobs ladder without the rungs The youth employment push opens doors but without progression routes, too many will be stuck at the first rung

Our Employment Policy Lead, Luiza Paludo Gomes, has written a piece for @feweek.bsky.social regarding the new Growth and Skills Levy. 📰

Read more by clicking the link below. 👇

feweek.co.uk/you-cant-cli...

Energy costs are driving up food prices. Supermarkets need relief The head of the British Retail Consortium outlines what grocers are demanding from Rachel Reeves as the Iran war pushes up prices for consumers

📝Ahead of a meeting between supermarkets and the Chancellor later, BRC CEO, Helen Dickinson, has outlined what the Government can do to help the industry continue to offer good value to its customers.

@thetimes.com

#retail #energy

www.thetimes.com/article/4239...

SRC: Scottish shops face £162m more in business rates than English counterparts over next three years - Retail Gazette According to the Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC), shops occupying medium to large spaces in Scotland are set to face £162 million more in business rates over the next three years than the same size s...

📰Coverage in Retail Gazette of the new business rates system in Scotland. The SRC has highlighted that Scottish shops face £162m more in business rates than English counterparts over next three years.

#retail

www.retailgazette.co.uk/blog/2026/03...

Great to have @kirithentwistle.bsky.social MP visit Currys in her constituency of North East Bolton today. 🤝

A fantastic opportunity to discuss local jobs, the Employment Rights Act and retail crime. 💬

#BuyIntoRetail

SRC Director has reacted to new business rates changes coming into force tomorrow.

Despite some RHL relief, as it stands, Scotland will be a materially less competitive place to invest than England. ❌

After the election, a more ambitious approach is required.💡

Shop price inflation remained subdued in March, but storm clouds are looming.

BRC-Nielsen SPM:
🛒 Shop price inflation: 1.2% YoY
🍎 Food inflation: 3.4% YoY
👕 Non-food inflation: 0.1% YoY
🥛 Fresh food inflation: 4.4% YoY
🥫 Ambient food inflation: 2.0% YoY

#retail

Big retailers say UK jobs at risk from guaranteed hours reforms More than half of roles could be hit and young shop workers in particular could lose out, trade body warns

Poor implementation of the Employment Rights Act will limit retailers' ability to offer flexible jobs.⚠️
New data from the BRC and Opinium Research shows that 52% of UK adults think the ability to flex working hours around their lives is important.
@theguardian.com
www.theguardian.com/law/2026/mar...

Supermarkets are not profiteers but a miracle of capitalism Labour’s cost of living crackdown on the grocers misses the point — it is time for ministers to stop blaming Putin and Trump for their own failed policies

⚠️ As conflict in the Middle East threatens to escalate, it is essential the Government looks at all the costs that could exacerbate these price rises. Ignoring business concerns risks even higher prices for shoppers. ⚠️

@thetimes.com

#retail

thetimes.com/article/6d28...

Inflation holds but Middle East conflict raises concerns for prices. 😬

The latest ONS CPI also showed:
👟Clothing and footwear inflation increasing 📈
🥗Food inflation dipping marginally 📉

BRC Economist, @harvirdhillon.bsky.social, has responded below. 👇

#inflation #retail

Retailers sound alarm over workers' rights after youth jobs slump Two of Britain's best-known high street retailers have sounded the alarm over Labour's new workers' rights laws as youth unemployment soars.

Writing in the Daily Mail, Julie Abraham - CEO of BRC member
Richer Sounds - sets out why the implementation of the Employment Rights Act must reflect the realities facing retailers. 📝

www.dailymail.co.uk/money/market...

Union Street blaze has 'taken a toll on trading', Glasgow retail chiefs declare New figures reveal sharp fall in footfall in Glasgow city centre footfall in aftermath of fire

SRC Director, David Lonsdale, has commented on the impact the fire in Glasgow has had on local footfall in the area. 💬

Full story in the @heraldscotland.bsky.social. 📰

www.heraldscotland.com/news/2594468...

Scots shops to pay £54m more in rates than English counterparts...

🏪Shops occupying medium sized and larger premises in Scotland are set to pay £54 million more in business rates than their equivalent-sized counterparts down south.

SRC Director, David Lonsdale, reacts.👇

One in five witness retail violence or abuse

One if five people have witnessed retail violence or abuse according to new data from the BRC and Opinium Research. 🔍

Nearly a quarter of the UK have seen an incident of shoplifting. 🛍️

#retail #retailcrime

brc.org.uk/news-and-eve...

📢BRC CEO, Helen Dickinson, has responded to the Government's 'New Deal' for young people, announced by DWP today.

👏The commitment to put more young people into work is great but this must not be undermined by unintended consequences that could arise from the ERA. ⚠️

⚠️ New data highlights the risk that the Employment Rights Act could unintentionally narrow job opportunities for young people. ⚠️

70% of Gen Z say flexible work is important, poor implementation of the ERA could limit flexible job availability.📜

#retail #jobs

📢Director of the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium, Neil Johnston, is giving evidence to the Northern Ireland Scrutiny Committee on support for businesses navigating the Windsor Framework.

Watch here 👉 parliamentlive.tv

#retail

⚠️Retail employment decline significantly in high streets. ⚠️

New stats from the ONS show retail employment falling sharply in high streets and shopping centres between 2015 and 2024. 📉

BRC CEO, Helen Dickinson, has responded to the figures. 💬

February retail sales rose just 1.1% YoY, below the 12-month average (2.3%), as grey, wet weather dampened spending. 🌧️

🥗Food sales grew 2.9%
👕Non-food slipped -0.4%
💻Online non-food fell -1.3%.

Valentine’s Day gave a small boost, but weak consumer confidence persists. ⚠️

Great to have questions tabled in UK Parliament by Jo Platt MP
and Mary Kelly Foy MP on the high street and what steps the Government can take to support retailers. 💬

#retail

A huge thanks to @joshnewburymp.bsky.social for taking the time to visit Tesco in Cannock Chase on Friday. 🤝

Great to have a discussion on local employment, retail crime, Tesco's charity work and the local healthcare services they provide, including the blood pressure test Josh took. 👏

Earlier this week, we signed a joint letter urging the Welsh Government to appoint a scheme administrator for DRS. 📝

Joe Robertson MP raised the issue of glass inclusion in the Welsh scheme in Parliament yesterday. 💬

#DRS

🎙️Earlier this week, BRC CEO Helen Dickinson, joined the CEO of the Retail Trust, Chris Brook-Carter at
@retailweek.bsky.social X @thegrocer.bsky.social LIVE, to discuss:

🤔The human factor: why growth starts with your workforce

Covering:
🖥️ Tech
🧔People
📈Labour
🙂Wellbeing
📜New regs

#RWGLIVE26

Government ‘putting ever more rocks into the retail sector’s rucksack’ In the wake of yesterday's Spring Statement, Scottish business leaders say firms need more help to navigate the cost of doing business.

Speaking on a panel yesterday hosted by the @heraldscotland.bsky.social Scotland, SRC Director David Lonsdale urged Scottish Government to avoid “putting ever more rocks into the retail sector’s rucksack.” 📢

www.heraldscotland.com/news/2590873...