The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that UK retail sales rose unexpectedly by 0.9% in January compared with December 2011. Furniture and sports goods did particularly well as they were heavily discounted, as did mail order and internet.
Internet sales now account for about 12% of total sales, up from 9% in January last year.
According to a report from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) compiled by the Local Data Company, charity shops, pound shops, shoe shops, bakers and convenience stores expanded last year. Those doing far less well were electrical stores and booksellers, as they face the greatest competition from online retailers. On average, Britain’s chain retailers closed 14 stores a day across the UK in 2011.
Amica, Liebherr and the White Goods Trade Association have partnered to provide support and financial sponsorship for a nationally recognised qualification for domestic refrigeration service engineers. The initiative will be unveiled to a group of 300 domestic white goods engineers at the annual White Goods Trade Association conference on the 24th February at the Hilton Hotel in Coventry.
Sony have announced that the new Network Media Player and Blu-ray Disc Player will be released in a staggered launch early summer in the US and UK.
The Network Media Player NSZ-GSY and Blu-ray Disc Player NSZ-GP9, both powered by Google TV, will enable users to connect the devices to their televisions with an HDMI lead to watch TV (when also connected to a set-top box or TV service), enjoy apps and browse the internet. The devices will also allow the user to access the Android Market, including 150 apps that have been designed and optimised for the TV.
As yet, there is no news on what either device will cost.
Panasonic has warned it will suffer a $10.2 billion full-year loss, the most severe in its 94-year history, after a combination of restructuring costs, effects of the strong Yen, supply problems in flood-hit Thailand, losses at Sanyo, and deteriorating revenues in TV sales. It’s not alone: Sony and Sharp have also forecast multibillion-dollar losses for the year.
John Clare became Chairman of Comet this month, convinced that the chain can be turned around by a return to its core proposition, saying: “I’ve known this business since the 1980s, and giving value to customers is what’s embedded in its roots.” He believes it can succeed under its new management without radical restructuring or store closures.
Adam Cochrane, Retail Analyst at UBS, has declared that: “Online and the convenience of click and collect are the fastest-growing areas of electrical retailing… Customers want to order more cheaply and get delivery quicker. Making people choose your internet site will be the key battleground going forwards.”
The 2011 British Retail Consortium (BRC) Retail Crime Survey has shown that the overall cost of retail crime has soared by 31% to £1.4 billion since 2010. This reflects the impact of serious, organised criminals as well as the August riots. Other findings are:
- the number of robberies increased by 20%
- the estimated total value of goods stolen by customers was over £147 million, up £10 million on 2010
- the average value of goods taken was more than £2,000
- the average cost per incident rose 17% from £847 to £989
- customer theft accounted for nearly 60% of the cost of crime
- retailers are spending £214 million (a median spend of £700,000 per company) on crime prevention (that’s up 1.4% on 2010 expenditure)
For the full report see: http://www.brc.org.uk/downloads/brc_retail_crime_survey_2011.pdf
The Centre for Retail Research, in a study on behalf of Kelkoo, suggests that shopping on mobile devices in the UK will increase by 53% in the next 12 months (to £4.5billion). This will make the British the biggest mobile shoppers in Europe for the third year running, ahead of Germany (£2.7bn) and France (£1.9bn). Total UK online sales are set to increase by 14% this year and shopping using mobile devices will represent 8% of all online retail spending.
Chris Simpson, CMO Kelkoo, says: “Over the last two years, shopping on mobile phones has increased exponentially as a result of simple and secure payment systems, better functionality and increased uptake of ‘always on’ mobile devices such as iPads and tablets. The fact that mobile retailing in the UK has grown by a staggering 584% since 2010 alone highlights how UK consumers are going beyond the PC to find the best online prices wherever they are.”
Research company Coleman Parkes has found that UK micro businesses lag behind their European counterparts in their use of e-commerce. Only 59% of UK businesses employing 10 people or less see e-commerce as a business opportunity, compared to 72% of European businesses of the same size. The study also found that small UK businesses are not fully grasping the opportunities presented by social media (60% have a Twitter profile, 31% have a Facebook page, but 42% have no idea where to start on social media). Small UK businesses really can compete with larger companies, but to do so they need to grasp the opportunities presented by both e-commerce and social media.
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Cambridgeshire Business Park, Ely, Cambs, CB7 4EA
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