British Retail Consortium

Did you know...?

• The retail industry employs nearly three million people – 11% of the UK workforce
• UK retail sales were £256 billion in 2006, larger than the combined economies of Denmark and Portugal.
• 11% of all enterprises in the UK are retailers, with 182, 475 VAT-registered businesses operating in 278, 365 retail outlets in 2006.
• Retail contributes 6% of the UK’s GDP
• Over a third of consumer spending goes through shops

These numbers speak for themselves: the retail industry is hugely important to the UK. The sector provides quality, choice and value to consumers as well as investing heavily in its employees and its systems. Retailing is central to community life and shops are more than distribution points. Retail is a vital local service, the mainstay of most town centres and communities across the country. As the last link in the distribution chain, there is no one closer to the consumer than the retailer and no one understands better the importance of the consumer’s needs and demands.

What is the British Retail Consortium?

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) is the leading trade association for the retail industry and represents every type of retailer in the UK, from the large multiples and department stores through to independents. Our membership comprises every sector of retailing, from food and drink to furniture and DIY and sell a wide range of products through town centres, suburban, out of town, rural and virtual stores. With such a breadth of membership, the BRC has the knowledge and the scope to be the expert voice for the retail industry.

The BRC exists to promote and protect the whole of the industry. We also provide the sector with a united platform from which to campaign for policy or regulation change, we communicate the key concerns and messages held by the industry with Government, Parliament and other key decision makers and we share best practice to ensure the UK remains a successful and vibrant industry.

The BRC also produces, in conjunction with KPMG, a monthly Retail Sales Monitor and Shop Price Index, providing factual analysis of how well retail is performing, how much movement there has been on price and how consumer confidence is affecting the sale of products. The data produced comes directly from our retailers and is therefore extremely accurate and up to date and, as such, is used extensively by the City as the best tool to use when analysing the economic performance of the retail sector.