Finance Tart » snowfall

Treacherous weather conditions cost insurers £650m

Kay Murchie — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:09:08 +0000

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) today reported the heavy snowfall earlier in the year cost insurers £650 million in weather-related claims.
Between December 18 and January 13, when snow and plummeting temperatures swept the country, there were around 335,000 claims, said the ABI.
The majority of the claims came from motorists as a result of the [...]

UK retail sales slip due to January snowfall

Kay Murchie — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 12:18:08 +0000

As expected, the snowy and icy conditions experienced in the UK in January has resulted in a fall in retail sales.
The severe wintry weather drove shoppers away from the High Street and resulted in a 1.8% fall in retail sales – the sharpest drop in 18 months.
The official figures, from the Office for National Statistics, [...]

Ethel Austin enters administration for second time in two years

Kay Murchie — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 13:25:11 +0000

Discount clothing retailer Ethel Austin has entered administration for the second time in two years.
The Liverpool-based retailer, which has 300 stores, will trade as normal while administrators MCR seek a new buyer.
However, MCR could not rule out closures or job losses since there were “no guarantees” that a buyer could be sought in the [...]

John Lewis recovers but Waitrose surges due to panic buying

Kay Murchie — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 10:25:55 +0000

The John Lewis Partnership, which is seen as a barometer of British retailing, today announced that takings recovered slightly in the week to 16 January compared with the previous week when heavy snowfall affected much of the country.
In the week to 16 January, sales were up 11.1% on the same period a year ago. The [...]

BRC: December retail sales in sharp rise

Kay Murchie — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 08:25:23 +0000

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has today announced that the High Street experienced the strongest December for eight years, boosting hopes that the UK economy will have emerged from recession in the fourth quarter.
According to the BRC, like-for-like sales grew 4.2% by value during December as last-minute Christmas shoppers boosted sales.
However, the BRC did highlight [...]

Shopper numbers down due to snowfall

Kay Murchie — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 17:39:32 +0000

Research company Synovate has revealed that the recent heavy snowfall is having a major affect on the number of people visiting the High Street.
The UK has been hit by the worst weather in 30 years and on Sunday 10 January, overall shopper numbers in non-food stores in the UK were down 14% compared with the [...]