Footfall in Britain’s retail sector fell 69 per cent in March when much of the country was still under lockdown, compared with the same month two years ago before the coronavirus pandemic had started, according to the British Retail Consortium.
But there were signs of recovery as the figure was a slight improvement on February's 73.5 per cent contraction and above the three-month average decline of 72 per cent.
Footfall on high streets fell 64.6 per cent in March compared with the same month in 2019, a slight decline from February’s data, while shopping centres suffered a 73 per cent drop.
“Footfall crept up on high streets and in shopping centres as warmer weather coincided with the end of the government’s ‘stay at home’ requirements,” said Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the BRC.
“Consumers appear to be more confident about visiting shops, showing that the safety measures put in place are clearly helping to make shoppers feel more comfortable visiting and returning to stores.”
Britain’s retail sector has been hammered by the Covid-19 crisis after non-essential shops were ordered to close during three lockdowns in England and much of the rest of the country.
Last year, retailers suffered their worst annual performance on record, with an overall decline in sales of 0.3 per cent on the year, according to the BRC-KPMG retail sales monitor, with the typically bumper Christmas period offering little respite for high street shops.
UK retail sales bounced back in February, with the volume of goods sold in shops and online rising 2.1 per cent, a more positive figure than the 8.2 per cent drop in January, according to data from the Office for National Statistics.
With non-essential shops set to reopen next week, the BRC hopes non-food stores can trade effectively to make up the £30 billion ($41.35bn) in lost sales over the three lockdowns, said Ms Dickinson.
"Savings have been building up over lockdown, and the economic recovery relies on retailers being able to unlock the pent-up demand in the economy," she said.
Ahead of the reopening, the BRC is asking consumers to help keep shop workers safe and ensure there is no risk to the government’s roadmap out of lockdown.
Government safety guidance stipulates that all customers must follow social-distancing rules, shop alone or in small groups, follow hygiene rules and wear a face covering unless they have an exemption.
The pandemic has also seen a shocking rise in violence and abuse against shop workers, with some coughed on, attacked or threatened when they have encouraged customers to follow the rules.
“Regrettably, throughout this appalling pandemic, incidents of abuse towards shop workers doubled," said Paddy Lillis, general sectary at the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers.
"It has been a terrible year, with Usdaw’s survey finding that nearly 90 per cent of shop workers suffered abuse and Covid safety measures have now become the significant flashpoints."
The sector has spent hundreds of millions of pounds on measures designed to prevent the transmission of Covid, including safety glass, queue-management systems, social distancing signs, better ventilation and more frequent cleaning.
Looking ahead, Andy Sumpter, regional retail consultant for Sensormatic Solutions, said the reopening of non-essential retail indicates "green shoots" of recovery for the sector.
"The real test comes as retail reopens and whether indeed that reopening is, as hoped, irreversible," Mr Sumpter said.
"After a year of yo-yoing in and out of lockdown, retailers will be hoping for stability and, once again, will be counting on the continued support of shoppers if any sort of bounce back is to be sustained."
How it works
Booklava works on a subscription model. On signing up you receive a free book as part of a 30-day-trial period, after which you pay US$9.99 (Dh36.70) per month to gain access to a library of books and discounts of up to 30 per cent on selected titles. You can cancel your subscription at any time. For more details go to www.booklava.com
The Pope's itinerary
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
Suggested picnic spots
Abu Dhabi
Umm Al Emarat Park
Yas Gateway Park
Delma Park
Al Bateen beach
Saadiyaat beach
The Corniche
Zayed Sports City
Dubai
Kite Beach
Zabeel Park
Al Nahda Pond Park
Mushrif Park
Safa Park
Al Mamzar Beach Park
Al Qudrah Lakes
Best Academy: Ajax and Benfica
Best Agent: Jorge Mendes
Best Club : Liverpool
Best Coach: Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)
Best Goalkeeper: Alisson Becker
Best Men’s Player: Cristiano Ronaldo
Best Partnership of the Year Award by SportBusiness: Manchester City and SAP
Best Referee: Stephanie Frappart
Best Revelation Player: Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid and Portugal)
Best Sporting Director: Andrea Berta (Atletico Madrid)
Best Women's Player: Lucy Bronze
Best Young Arab Player: Achraf Hakimi
Kooora – Best Arab Club: Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia)
Kooora – Best Arab Player: Abderrazak Hamdallah (Al-Nassr FC, Saudi Arabia)
Player Career Award: Miralem Pjanic and Ryan Giggs
The%20Roundup
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Lee%20Sang-yong%3Cbr%3EStars%3A%20Ma%20Dong-seok%2C%20Sukku%20Son%2C%20Choi%20Gwi-hwa%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Major honours
ARSENAL
BARCELONA
- La Liga - 2013
- Copa del Rey - 2012
- Fifa Club World Cup - 2011
CHELSEA
- Premier League - 2015, 2017
- FA Cup - 2018
- League Cup - 2015
SPAIN
- World Cup - 2010
- European Championship - 2008, 2012
The most expensive investment mistake you will ever make
When is the best time to start saving in a pension? The answer is simple – at the earliest possible moment. The first pound, euro, dollar or dirham you invest is the most valuable, as it has so much longer to grow in value. If you start in your twenties, it could be invested for 40 years or more, which means you have decades for compound interest to work its magic.
“You get growth upon growth upon growth, followed by more growth. The earlier you start the process, the more it will all roll up,” says Chris Davies, chartered financial planner at The Fry Group in Dubai.
This table shows how much you would have in your pension at age 65, depending on when you start and how much you pay in (it assumes your investments grow 7 per cent a year after charges and you have no other savings).
|
Age
|
$250 a month
|
$500 a month
|
$1,000 a month
|
|
25
|
$640,829
|
$1,281,657
|
$2,563,315
|
|
35
|
$303,219
|
$606,439
|
$1,212,877
|
|
45
|
$131,596
|
$263,191
|
$526,382
|
|
55
|
$44,351
|
$88,702
|
$177,403
|
Non-oil%20trade
%3Cp%3ENon-oil%20trade%20between%20the%20UAE%20and%20Japan%20grew%20by%2034%20per%20cent%20over%20the%20past%20two%20years%2C%20according%20to%20data%20from%20the%20Federal%20Competitiveness%20and%20Statistics%20Centre.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EIn%2010%20years%2C%20it%20has%20reached%20a%20total%20of%20Dh524.4%20billion.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ECars%20topped%20the%20list%20of%20the%20top%20five%20commodities%20re-exported%20to%20Japan%20in%202022%2C%20with%20a%20value%20of%20Dh1.3%20billion.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EJewellery%20and%20ornaments%20amounted%20to%20Dh150%20million%20while%20precious%20metal%20scraps%20amounted%20to%20Dh105%20million.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERaw%20aluminium%20was%20ranked%20first%20among%20the%20top%20five%20commodities%20exported%20to%20Japan.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ETop%20of%20the%20list%20of%20commodities%20imported%20from%20Japan%20in%202022%20was%20cars%2C%20with%20a%20value%20of%20Dh20.08%20billion.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now