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BRC calls for clarity aft er EU Referendum result T


he British Retail Consortium (BR C) released its statement following the result of the EU Referendum.


“Now that a decision has been made to leave, it is important the Government moves quickly to explain the process of disengagement from the EU,” the statement r eads. “Without clarity, retailers, other businesses and hence the ffer from a prolonged period


economy will suff of uncertainty.


“We are already seeing the commencement of a period of considerable volatility as financial markets react to any emerging ormation that might indicate how the


inffo


new relationship to the EU might be shaped. Retailers should be prepared or the possibility of significant swings, particularly in the exchange rate and consumer confidence.”


fof


It continues: “In order to k eep prices down and to deliver the best possible choice ffo consumers, retailers’ top priority in the short term will be to ensure the continued ease and minimum additional costs of importing EU goods into the UK ffo


or or sale to customers.


A prolonged fall in the value of the pound will impact import costs and ultimately consumer prices, but this will take time to feed through. In its exit negotiations the Government should aim to ensure that the trade benefits of the Single Market (i.e. the absence of customs duties) are replicated in the UK's new relationship with the EU.” The statement adds: “However, it is t ffo


important f n or us all to remember that, even


if the government serves notice to leave the EU tomorrow, the process of leaving the


EU will take a couple of years, during which time the UK remains a member and EU rules over free movement will continue to apply. Retailers will continue to ffofocus on serving and delivering ffo


or their cust


out in a highly competitive market as they do today.”


BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson commented: “Keeping the cost of goods down ffo ffo


or consumers and


or businesses must be at Government's plans ffo


or consumers and providing certainty or businesses must be at the heart of the


or lifefe outside of the EU.”


sees opportunities in Bre xit small businesses D


ixons Carphone chi opportunities for gr


1 ef executive Seb Ja James has predi cted owth in the market following th e EU


Referendum decision, as the company announced a 17 % rise in 2015--16 profit.


S eb commented:“I am very pleased to be announcing another year ore tax up more than


of significant earnings growth, with profits beffo


17%. In this momentous year we have largely completed our merger activities, driven customer satisfaction and market share to all time highs in virtually all of our markets, made our shops mor e interactiv e and exciting while becoming ever more competitive with pure-play retailers, launched a new joint venture in the US, launched a new UK mobile network, and embarked on an ambitious property plan in the


UK and Ir eland.We also had our biggest ever trading day on Black Friday last year.” He continued , noting that the company is ‘far from done’ a year, including making every one of the for rolling out around 150 new st ores in the US.


and maintains‘ambitious plans’ fo for the or t fo mer Dixons stores int o one of its ne w 3-in-1 shops and


On the question of Europe , Seb added:“Finally, the nation has spoken and there has been a v ot e to exit the EU in due course. As you can imagine, we have been giving some thought t o this. Our view is that, as the strongest player in our market and despite the volatilit y that is the inevitable consequence of such change, we expect to find oppor tunities fores ffo additional g consolidate our position as the leader in the UK market.”


or additional gro wth and fur ther


Underlining the group’s optimism, Dixons Carphone has also opened its ne w L ondon flagship storeonOxffo d Street, mer ging the PCWorld, Currys and CarphoneW arehouse brands in one central London location.


or a‘digital ffe


A number of new store concepts and f eatu e wall’of LED


r concepts and ffe eatures have been introduced at Oxfor and w earables, and a dedicatedM ultiplay ffe


is a model ffo wider estate.


Oxffo


TV and broadband bundles, connected devices, and on-demand content. hat the Oxffo


S eb commented: “I’m very excited to be opening our new Oxffo fo d Street, including


of LED screens delivering aspirational content, a great er range of accessor ies offering, serving customers’connectivit y needs , including


Dixons Carphone says that the Oxford Street site demonstrates the pot ential of high street locations to showcase a specialist range of products to customers in central locations. Oxfor or future high street 3-in-1 stor es with successful elements also being r olled out to the


ord Street store, which brings


together our latest thinking in Curr ys, PCWorld and C arphoneWarehouse on the high street. ord Street is one of the most iconic shopping destinations in the wor ld and it seems apt that we are launching a flagship store her e.We have designed a real destination store that’s full of innovation and technology firsts that I’m sure our customers will love.”


4 | www.innova ivvative electricalretailing.co.u.uk w. veelectricalic lec re .c fo d Str eet T eave the EU. U.


momentous and the effec er


to bring stability ffo or the bu


Dixons Carphone executive FSB: need for stability paramount for UK


h Fee Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has responded to changes in government and the decision by the UK to l av


FSB national chairman Mike Cher ry said: “The events of the last 24 hours ha ve been ffe ts hav e already


on what these decisions now mean for business, including how businesses will have access to the single market and the free movement of people and trade.” He continued: “Nearly a quarter of FSB members expor t, with the majority exporting t o the single market. Access to the single market means access to 500 million potential consumers, more than 26 million businesses and is worth 11 trillion eur os.We call on the Government for clarity on the impact to smaller firms who export wider TA agreements.


been seen on the markets . Clear ly the EU Reffe endum debate has been cont entious, but we now call on the Gover nment and all parties or the business community. or clarity fo


“FSB calls on the Government ffo


afield through EU FTA be answered swifft


million small businesses’ c


“These are crucial questions that need to tly to ensure the UK’s 5.4 confidence does


not fall any further, which is already at the lowest levels since 2013.This includes clarity over the practical implications of this result on how smaller firms do business.


“FSB will continue to be a constructive partner in any upcoming negotiations, ensuring the voice of smaller firms is heard loud and clear.”


J ly/August 2016 uly/ y/Aug or their cu omers day in, day


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