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The latest BRC-Nielsen Shop Price Index report shows, overall shop prices dropped by 0.5 % year-on-year in the last six days to January 8, though the rate of deflation showed from 0.6% a month earlier.
Despite “non-food prices creeping ever so slightly towards inflation”, the disparity between food and non-food prices continued to grow.
Excluding December, non-food deflation rates were the deepest since last March, but the 1.9% drop was still than 2.1% seen throughout December.
In mean time, food inflation edged up from 1.8% in December to 1.9% in January. It is the highest level of inflation marked since October.
The rise was driven by ambient food which saw prices jump 2.2%, up from 1.7% in December.
This was partially offset by fresh food, seeing inflation ease from 2% in December to 1.7%.
“There are reassuring signs for consumers from the fall in latest input price inflation, that the worst effects of sterling’s depreci

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Over 17,243 companies entered insolvency in 2017, rising 4.2% year-on-year, according to The Insolvency Service
This was driven by an 8.3% rise in creditors’ voluntary liquidations (CLVs). In this companies sell off their assets in order to repay creditors.
According to a report the wholesale and retail industry reported as the third worst hit by insolvencies, seeing 2144 companies enter liquidation last year, a rise of 2.2%.
The sector was particularly vulnerable due to falling consumer spending warned by experts.
“Two sectors in particular are on high alert – retail and construction,” HW Fisher & Company’s insolvency partner Brian Johnson said.
Many high street brands suffered a poor Christmas amid lower levels of consumer spending and also continued Brexit uncertainity. The sharp slowdown in construction is putting extreme stress on building subcontractors – thousands are facing a large hit following the collapse of Carillion.
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According to latest IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index, a sharp drop in 2017’s figures to 2016’s 15.9% average growth.
In 2018, a forecast to slow down online retail sales again to a growth of 9% - the first time it has fallen into a single digit territory.
IMRG and Capgemini said the fall in annual growth is one of multiple indicators of a maturing online retail market. March and April months show notably stronger year-on-year growth when compared to 2016.
In addition, sales growth through smartphones averaged 77% every month from July to December 2016, but in the same period in 2017 it fell to 50% while the growth through tablets has only grew a meager 0.7%.
In 2018, it is forecast to slow down further in all the devices.
IMRG and Capgemini say the sales rates were consistent with three-year-bounce pattern of growth identified in the index. Peaks starting in 2010 and repeating in 2013 and 2016, so after 2018’s predicted slowdown, 2019

Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) published a survey according to which 14% of small businesses are now expecting to close or stop trading, with retailers among the least optimistic.
More than 75% reported rising operating costs over the first three quarters of 2017, while for the second time FSB’s confidence index dropped into negative territory in five years.
According to the survey report fall in profits are due to the inflation and wavering consumer demand which meant 41% of small businesses.
Nearly a third of companies expecting to continue their performance its downward trend in the next quarter.
“While the swift agreement of a transitional arrangement and an ambitious free trade agreement with the EU are absolutely critical, it’s spiralling costs, weak growth and flagging consumer demand at home that are front of mind for small firms day to day,” FSB chairman Mike Cherry said.

According to a report from KPMG/Ipsos Retail Think Tank, retailers going to brace for another tough year ahead as geopolitical and macroeconomic obstacles along with an increase in number of regulatory compliance issues and ongoing structural changes within the industry rear their heads.
The report emphasized that the key challenge will be the consumer spending in the upcoming year. Despite expectations that there will be an increase in wages in the second half of the year, the divide between food and non-food will be exacerbated over the coming six months. Thanks to rising inflation.
KPMG’s Paul Martin points to focus on consolidation, just like 2017’s Tesco/Booker merger which is likely to continue as the market share going to remain as a “core focus for businesses.”
More number of privacy and data protection laws coming into play next year, in the form of General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). It might have a significant effect on retail sector