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Published
Oct 27, 2016
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UK retail job losses accelerate in latest quarter

Published
Oct 27, 2016

Store closures in the UK mean retail jobs have fallen for the third successive quarter, a British Retail Consortium (BRC) report said Thursday.


UK stores have fewer staff as job losses in retail accelerate - Public domain


But the rate of job losses has picked up speed with the 3% decline in the last quarter the largest drop in six years. The 3% fall also coincided with a 1.2% drop in store numbers over the period.

Job losses were seen across both the non-food and food sector, although non-foods escaped the worst of the decline. The BRC said it expects the trend to continue.

The retailer body said that it has yet to detect any clear impact from the Brexit referendum on sales, footfall or employment in the industry. However it added that inflationary pressures due to the 20% fall in the value of the pound “are unquestionably building”.

BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson said that retailers are likely to re-examine staffing levels once inflationary pressures, and the impact of the higher national living wage, kick in more deeply.

But on the plus side, she said “retailers are also actively investing in existing staff to improve the quality of their jobs and productivity per employee."

Automation is also expected to add to the declining employment trend with the BRC expecting there to be significantly fewer retail jobs in 10 years’ time.

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