Retailing

Unlike larger store formats within grocery retailers, such as warehouse clubs, discounters, and hypermarkets, which have a strong focus on lower-priced products as well as the ability to limit the transfer of increased costs on to consumers, small…

In 2023, soaring inflation rates, an ongoing cost-of-living crisis, low consumer confidence and limited spending subdued the retail industry in the UK. Consumers continued to downgrade product purchases to mitigate the negative effects of the…

After a challenging 2022 due to high inflation, the emergence of the cost-of-living crisis, and additional pressure on operators due to a surge in utility prices, all of which affected the disposable incomes of local consumers and subsequently led to…

Despite increased competition from discounters and warehouse clubs, which offer low-cost products appealing to the elevated number of price-sensitive consumers in 2023, hypermarkets in the UK maintained positive sales growth. Amid the cost-of-living…

Home products specialists witnessed a surge in value sales in 2021, following declines due to pandemic-related restrictions. However, the channel did not return to 2019 sales levels until 2022. The cost-of-living crisis that began in 2022 and…

In 2023, health and beauty specialists in the UK maintained its positive trajectory despite rising price sensitivity among consumers and a significant squeeze on disposable incomes. Pricing strategies, and discounted offers in particular, played an…

In 2023, a year characterised by the ongoing cost-of-living crisis and high inflation, Poundland was one of the more active players in general merchandise stores in the UK, placing a strong focus on pricing and expanding its product range. In March…

Due to high inflation towards the end of the review period, resulting in elevated prices of goods and services, consumers became increasingly price conscious, supporting the second consecutive year of value growth for discounters in the UK. As…

Amid the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, local consumers turned to direct selling in the UK as a way to augment their household earnings. Data released by the UK’s Direct Selling Association (DSA) revealed a significant surge in the number of people…

Despite price increases as a result of inflation that continued to drive the local population to adopt more conscious spending patterns in 2023, convenience retailers in the UK maintained a positive trajectory during the year as proximity and…

In 2022, appliances and electronics specialists in the UK was the only non-grocery retail channel to experience a decline in sales. Due to the cost-of-living crisis and the squeeze on discretionary budgets, many consumers were forced to be…

After a year of strong double-digit value growth in 2022 for apparel and footwear specialists in the UK, the channel maintained its positive trajectory in 2023 to outperform all other non-grocery retailers, except for leisure and personal goods…

The vending channel experienced healthy growth in current value terms in the US in 2023, and also maintained solid growth in value terms at constant 2023 prices. The continued normalisation of work and mobility routines post-pandemic benefited…

Although supermarkets recorded positive growth in the US in current value terms in 2023, it posted near flat growth at constant 2023 prices. As such, inflation, rather than a higher number of units sold, was behind much of the value gain. In current…

Small local grocers experienced positive growth in current value terms in the US in 2023, although it was one of the lower growth channels within grocery retailers, and decline continued in value terms at constant 2023 prices. Small local grocers in…

In 2022, the annual rate of inflation in the US rose to the highest level recorded in 40 years. As a result, rising costs firmly supplanted the COVID-19 pandemic as US consumers’ foremost concern. With the prices of groceries and petrol rising…

In 2022, as the rate of inflation in the US hit the highest level seen in decades, consumers were forced to look for ways to ration their spending. This had a significant impact on the retail industry, as US residents cut back on purchases of…

Hypermarkets experienced slower current value growth in the US in 2023 than in the previous year. This was largely a response to the still difficult inflationary environment in the country. Many US consumers continued to put off purchases of…

In 2023, home products specialists (which encompasses homewares and home furnishing stores, home improvement and gardening stores, and pet shops and superstores) in the US saw value declines in both current terms and constant terms at 2023 prices.…

Health and beauty specialists in the US saw low current value growth in 2023, but maintained a similar decline to the previous year at constant 2023 prices. Current value growth for the pharmacies channel was almost flat in 2023. This marked the…