A survey of 406 firms by Belfast Chamber found 71% are pessimistic about the city’s short-term prospects.

It’s the latest survey carried out by the business body in conjunction with Belfast City Council.

Belfast Chamber chief executive Simon Hamilton said it paints “a pretty bleak picture” for business conditions in the city.

“Whilst trading and profitability have both been strong over the past six months, there has been a stark drop in confidence for the time ahead,” he said.

The survey found that firms are less pessimistic when asked about the prospects of their own business or sector.

Just 44% believe their own business will get worse in the coming next months, with 35% predicting similar trading conditions, while 20% expect an improved picture.

But pessimism surged when asked about the city’s prospects as a whole.

“With 99% of businesses seeing fuel and electricity costs rising and other costs also on the rise, coupled with a considerable number of issues around recruiting staff reflected in the survey results, it is easy to see why optimism amongst Belfast businesses has declined,” said Mr Hamilton.

Elsewhere, the new survey showed the very mixed experience of businesses under Brexit and the Northern Ireland Protocol.

One-in-three felt their business has been negatively disrupted by Brexit, while 30% said it had no impact.

Of the 106 Belfast businesses trading in the Republic, 36% reported increased profitability in the past six months and 42% of the 41 firms trading with the rest of the EU also reported higher half year profits.

Simon Hamilton said businesses in Belfast have continued to exhibit an ability to weather whatever storm they may face.

“Although it seems that the impact of the pandemic has receded, it has been replaced by a whole host of new challenges,” he said.

“I am always impressed by the business community’s capacity to adapt and innovate but it is clear that on top of every ounce of resilience they possess, many will need urgent help from both government and a restored executive.”

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The post Coca-Cola HBC celebrates double digit percentage growth in sales and profits first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

The festive initiative runs from 26 September – 18 December, promising huge value deals on high demand products, including one week of double deals. Retailers taking part can be promised a significant spike in sales throughout the three months, with data from 2021 showing a 20% growth in sales from the previous year.

12 Deals of Christmas has become Henderson Wholesale’s flagship footfall and sales driving initiative for its stores, which sees the wholesaler invest around £1.7M to provide the cut price deals for retailers to offer shoppers.

Since its inception in 2016, retail sales have experienced growth of over 67% after generating over £5.9M sales in 2021.

The campaign takes on added significance this year as millions of households across Northern Ireland are feeling the effects of rising household costs, as the cost of living crisis continues to take a grip on the country.

Sara Murphy, Marketing Manager at Henderson Group says this was ever present when creating the campaign for 2022: “We have retailers in every city, town, village and community across Northern Ireland, whose shoppers rely on them to be trusted and provide value where they possibly can.

“This year we launched Mega Deals, where shoppers can take advantage of a vastly cut price, high demand product each week, which our research shows is helping shoppers with their essential shops through the week.

“Christmas is weighing heavily on consumers’ shoulders this year, so we are conscious that our deals will have quite an expectation to help towards that long shopping list for the festive season. 12 Deals comprises a total of 13 products across 12 weeks that can not only be stored away for Christmas but will also be useful for any day use in the run-up when budgeting is even tighter.”

Shoppers agree, with over 80% stating SPAR’s 12 Deals of Christmas campaign offers were better than supermarket prices*, with 71% saying the campaign would make them want to shop at SPAR, EUROSPAR and ViVO branded stores more often*.

Sara continued: “The direct feedback from shoppers, alongside the sharp sales growth over the past six years, shows this is a campaign that resonates and delivers for retailers. There is a deal for everyone, and the anticipation for the 2022 deals is great. We’re excited for them to land in stores in the run up to Christmas.”

Retailers will also benefit from a fully integrated marketing campaign, marking an investment of over £525,000 alone. TV ads will feature families who have gotten carried away with the deals, unable to resist a bargain, while adshels and 48-sheets will complement radio and social media activity, engaging with some of Northern Ireland’s most well-known faces.

Week one of 12 Deals of Christmas kicks off Monday 26^th September, with 10 and 12 packs of Coke, Diet Coke, Coke Zero, Fanta and Fanta Zero less than half price at £3.25. For more, visit spar-ni.co.uk.

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The post Food sales decline as milk soars in price by up to 16%: Kantar first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

Retail sales volumes dropped by 1.6% in monthly terms in August, the Office for National Statistics said.

This was the biggest fall since December 2021 and worse than all forecasts in a Reuters poll of economists that had pointed to a 0.5% fall.

All of the main retail sectors – food stores, non-food stores, non-store retailing and fuel – fell over the month for the first time since July 2021, when Covid-19 restrictions on hospitality were lifted, the ONS said.

The period of mourning following the death of Queen Elizabeth poses another challenge to retailers, with widespread business closures due on Monday to mark the queen’s funeral.

Although inflation dipped below 10% last month, households are still grappling with the biggest price increases since the early 1980s, caused mostly by surging energy prices in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The ONS said people also cut back on furniture purchases last month.

“Feedback from retailers suggests that consumers are cutting back on spending because of increased prices and affordability concerns,” it said.

The post Retail sales fall more than expected in August: ONS first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.