Page 10 | 11-17 January 2017 CITYMATTERS.LONDON by JM Barrie devised by the Companies ‘Unforgettable. Magic’ Guardian ‘Superb. Inventive’ Daily Telegraph Until 4 Feb South Bank, London SE1 A co-production with Photography by Sam Robinson
CITYMATTERS.LONDON 11-17 January 2017 | Page 11 Shopping <strong>Matters</strong> Trends worth noting down IT would appear the UK is not so much of a cashless society as it is touted to be. A record-breaking £730million was withdrawn from the country’s ATM network on the Friday prior to Christmas (23 December) – with consumers taking on average £87 from the hole in the wall. Alternative According to data from the UK Cards Association (UKCA), the whopping figure represents a 13% increase on 2<strong>015</strong>’s record day for withdrawals (24 December), on which £634m was taken out. UKCA admitted its surprise at the trend of increased cash withdrawals given the growing popularity of alternative ways of spending. Contactless payments made up more than one in five (21%) of payments in August 2016, a 7.9% spike on the same period in 2<strong>015</strong>. AMAZON has put together a list of the delightful dozen bestsellers from each month in 2016. Joe Wicks and his health-orientated cookbook took top spot in January, while February bowed to the allure of the sheet face mask, driven primarily by its A-list celebrity endorsers. March meanwhile belonged to the Spider Catcher – which does exactly what it says on the tin – as sales soared by 232%. Fitness clothing was the must have in April; the Panini stickerbook dominated the European SHOPPERS STAYING AT HOME DESPITE DEALS New year’s sales fail for retailers IT was a case of ‘thanks, but no thanks’ this month as retailers failed to entice shoppers to the new year sales – with deceptive scene: the footfall some estimates putting the number of at One New Change fell bargain hunters out on the first day of January down by as much as 25%. Shopping centres were the most badly hit by the decline in post-Christmas spending, with footfall tumbling by almost half (49.5%) compared to the same figures in 2016, according to data from Springboard. Traditionally Insights director at the retail analyst, Diane Wehrle, urged for caution on the part of stores as they await an upturn in fortune. “Retailers traditionally see the first trading weekend of the year as a sign of things to come, and if this still rings true the industry is set for a rocky 2017,” she said. “The ease and comfort of online shopping proved too enticing for shoppers keen to snap up further discounts in the sales rather than bracing the cold outdoors. Shopping centres in particular have a challenge ahead in 2017. Having experienced a decline in footfall during 2016, these destinations need to up their game in order to provide additional reasons to draw shoppers away from their devices with an offer going Amazon looks back on 12 months of chart toppers football Championships in May; and all manner of inflatable pool toys – shaped as unicorns and swans and everything between – filled the baskets in June. There were no prizes for guessing that copies of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (left) – the latest offering from author JK Rowling in the form of a stage play – would outsell all else in July; the popularity of the magical franchise saw the book go straight to number one in the charts. Perhaps wanting to toast the last of the summer nights, Rosé wine enjoyed somewhat of a resurgence in August and sales climbed 530%. Scramble Spending eased in September so Amazon highlighted a spike in sales of Roald Dahl children’s classics before normal service resumed in October with Halloween firmly on the minds of the public. Lion mane costumes for dogs (sales up 17,600%) held the biggest pull for owners seemingly keen to embarrass their poor pooches. The Danes inspired us in November; The Little Book of Hygge – aka the Danish book of how to live well – hitting the top of the bestseller lists before attention turned to the Christmas scramble. Musically, December belonged to Now That’s What I call Music 95; literary honours were shared between parody book Five on Brexit Island and Jamie Oliver’s Christmas; while animal magic once again stole the show with The Secret Life of Pets topping the DVD most wanted list. beyond retail.” Freezing temperatures and reduced opening hours were cited as the main reasons for people staying at home, as was unreliable transport, with Southern Rail in particular coming in for some stinging criticism after prolonged strikes. A 2.3% hike in train fares have also caused consumers to tighten the purse strings since the turn of the new year. Meanwhile, experts suggested punters should have cashed in on the new year deals with some predicting the end of price deflation which has defined the last three years. The British Retail Consortium (BRC) confirmed that overall shop prices rose by 0.2% between November and December, and announced that the annual fall in prices slowed to 1.4%. The weaker pound has caused an increase in import costs since Brexit, and retailers are being forced to up their prices despite the threat of online alternatives. Pressures Helen Dickenson OBE, chief executive of the BRC, said: “We’ve said for some time that we expect to see underlying inflationary pressures, notably from the post-referendum fall in the value of the pound, feed through into shop prices. “It’s too early to confirm that this is what we’re seeing in December’s figures: timings of seasonal discounts can cause monthly fluctuations at this time of year and retailers have continued to find ways to mitigate the impact on consumers. “However, we expect the general trend in inflation to be upwards over 2017. “The magnitude of the exchange rate movement and commodity price rises, combined with the increasing costs of doing business, means that retailers will have little choice other than to pass on some of these rising costs into prices, but effect will be lessened by the intensity of competition.”
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