Half of retailers will shed jobs
Around 50 per cent of retailers will shed jobs in the first quarter of 2013, according to research by the British Retail Consortium. The number of shops fell by almost 600 last month even before the recent collapse of a raft of High Street names.
Latest ITV News reports
High Street shops closing in record numbers
Britain's retailers have faced yet more gloomy predictions today with up to half of major High Street stores planning to cut staff, according to a new survey.
The grim outlook comes in the wake of a series of famous names going under, like Jessops, Blockbuster and HMV.
ITV News Consumer Editor Chris Choi reports from Warrington:
Read: Chris Choi examines whether the threat to the High Street is fatal.
New figures point to a grim 2013 for retail
A record number of shops closed in December, footfall was down and there are alarming signs for the future.
Read the full storyAdvertisement
More retail job losses after footfall down
by Chris Choi - Consumer EditorHalf of retailers are considering decreasing staffing levels in the first quarter of 2013 compared with just a third at the same time last year.
New figures from retailers suggest more job losses are on their way after a decrease in footfall.
Employment Minister: 'The high street is changing'
Around 50 per cent of retailers will shed jobs in the first quarter of 2013, according to research by the British Retail Consortium.
Speaking to ITV Daybreak, Employment Minister Mark Hoban said that the overall employment figures are good, and that jobs are being created.
He added that the high street is changing and job descriptions will change too.
British Retail Consortium report is 'alarmist'
The British Retail Consortium has reported that more than half of high street stores will be making staff cuts this spring.
ITV Daybreak spoke to Fiona Wilson from the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers, she said: "We would expect to see some seasonal changes in the new year".
Retail Consortium: 'Significant retail failures'
Half of all shops on the high street plan to cut staff over the next few months, as many struggle to stay afloat.
The warning from the British Retail Consortium comes as thousands of shop staff, made redundant since Christmas, try to find work.
ITV Daybreak's Katy Fawcett reports.
Advertisement
Government 'offering practical support' to High Street
– A Department for Communities and Local Government spokesmanHigh streets are facing challenges such as the rise of internet shopping, which is why the Government is offering practical support. That's why we've doubled the amount of small business rate relief and extended it for a year to help up to half a million new and smaller shops.
For budding entrepreneurs, we're providing over £80 million of start-up loans for young people starting their own businesses.
Retail employment rise 'is a shaft of light' in 'challenging' times
– Helen Dickinson, director general of the British Retail ConsortiumThe fact that total employment edged up during this quarter, driven by part-time workers, is a shaft of light against an otherwise challenging backdrop.
It shows that, despite relentlessly tough times, retailers are continuing to invest in people and support job creation as much as they can.
But the record drop in store numbers is stark evidence that this investment should not be taken for granted. We're by no means out of the woods yet, and given the administrations of recent weeks, the next quarter's figures are likely to make difficult reading.
Half of retailers planning to cut staff
Around 50 per cent of retailers said they planned to cut staffing levels in the next few months, with only 4% expecting to create jobs, according to a new survey.
There were also almost 600 fewer shops last month even before the recent collapse of a raft of High Street names, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC).
However, employment in the retail sector rose by 0.6% in the final quarter of 2012 compared with a year earlier, driven entirely by part-time workers, the study found.
The survey, covering 1.3 million workers at 25 major retailers, showed that Christmas was not a disaster for traders, but staffing levels were kept "modest".