news Demand
getting back on track ahead of Christmas T
he British Retail Consortium has reported that customer demand is
getting back on track ahead of Christmas, as sales grew at a faster rate than September, and well above pre-pandemic levels. In data covering the five weeks, from October 3-30, the BRC said that, on a total basis, sales increased by 1.3% in October, against a growth of 4.9% in October 2020. This is below the three-month average growth of 1.7% and the 12- month average growth of 10.2%. Over the three-months to October, non-food
retail sales increased by 1.8% on a total basis and decreased by 0.1% on a like-for-like basis. This is below the 12-month total average growth of 14.9%. For the month of October, non-food was in growth year-on-year.
Helen Dickinson OBE, chief executive of the
BRC, said: “Furniture and electrical sales were held back by global logistical issues and microchip shortages. “Some people started their Christmas shopping
early and searches for Christmas items are ramping up online. Retailers are doing everything they can to offer customers the choice and availability required throughout the industry’s busiest period. “Retailers are hopeful that demand will continue right through the golden quarter, however, there are challenges ahead with higher prices on the horizon compounded by the many increasing costs faced by consumers such as higher energy bills and rising national insurance.” Paul Martin, head of UK retail at accountancy
Whirlpool Corporation celebrates its 110th anniversary
W
hirlpool Corporation celebrated its 110 year
anniversary on November 11, 2021. To mark the occasion, the company reflected on its history of innovation and collaboration throughout the decades. From November 1-11, the company shared, each day, a decade-by-decade reflection of its history, exploring the key moments and major milestones since it was established. Senior leaders from the company appeared in a live stream for 11 minutes each day, retelling Whirlpool Corporation’s history by the decade, as well as providing insight into the company’s future goals and targets. Ian Moverley, public affairs
November 2021
director at Whirlpool UK Appliances, said: “Our brands, including Hotpoint, Indesit, Whirlpool and KitchenAid, have made a real, positive difference to homes and communities for 110 years. “While the company has
evolved over the years to adapt to global challenges, drive technological advances and meet and the changing needs of our customers, our mission to improve life at home has remained at the heart of everything we do for 110 years, and so too has our commitment to build greater relationships with our customers, develop the talent within our business and establish deeper ties with our communities.”
firm KPMG, said that October provided a modest boost for the high street as total retail sales grew by 1.3% compared to last year. Mr Martin said: “Confident consumers are heading to physical stores to make purchases, as online sales fell yet again in October, although with penetration rates at 42% online shopping remains significantly higher than pre-COVID-19 levels. “The much-reported squeeze on household spending has yet to materialise as consumers seem happy to carry on shopping. Limited availability of stock has created strong pricing dynamics, which means we are unlikely to see any big discounting this Christmas, and many retailers will be hoping consumers are willing to buy the most sought-after gifts at any price.”
Global TCG market records new highs in the first half of 2021
G
fK has reported that the value of the global Technical Consumer Goods
(TCG) market, excluding North America, grew by a record 26% to US$433 billion (£322.4bn) in the first half of 2021 versus the same period last year. The data company said it expects a moderation in growth for the second half of 2021 due to comparison against peak sales achieved in the second half of 2020. For the full year 2021, GfK expects sales of US$1.4 trillion (£1tn) for the total
TCG market, including North America, which represents an increase of +12%. Nevin Francis, GfK’s expert for the TCG industry, said: “IT and home appliances continued to be popular in the first six months of 2021 as the tailwinds of growth from 2020 continued. “The IT and small domestic appliances (SDA) sectors even exceeded sales in comparison to the pre-COVID period of 2019: +27% for IT and +25% for SDA. “Other sectors also returned to growth during the first six months: consumer Electronics (+18%), telecom (+30%), and major domestic appliances (MDA) (+26%) sectors bounced back and grew versus the first half year of 2020.” Mr Francis added: “With market intelligence data across a huge range of
tech and durables categories, we saw an average price increase of +26% across TCG products in the first six months of 2021 – this trend began in the third quarter of 2020.”
www.ierdaily.co.uk | 5
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40
