Useful Links
There is a wealth of information about the retail sector currently available, covering everything from how much shoppers are willing to pay for extra convenience to the number of new stores that supermarkets have in their development pipeline. The links below are some of the most reliable sources of information about convenience stores and the retail sector as a whole.
The Local Data Company publishes frequent updates on the number of retail outlets on high streets, going to hundreds of town centres across the country to inform its monthly shop vacancy tracker. The Local Data Company's annual reports offer valuable insight into the state of our communities and have recently revealed that more than one in seven shops stand empty.
Website: www.localdatacompany.com
William Reed Knowledge Store publishes the Grocery Retail Structure in its flagship publications The Grocer and Convenience Store every year, providing a comprehensive look at the number of stores in our sector compared with the previous year. Recent trends have seen an increasing move toward convenience retailing from supermarkets, with aquisitions like Netto and Mills Group boosting their numbers.
Website: http://www.thegrocer.co.uk/reports-and-advice/rankings/grocery-retail-structure-2011/218280.article
The annual IGD Convenience Retailing Report reveals the performance of retailers over the previous year and looks at the rise and decline of sales in the major convenience store categories. Over recent years, the IGD report has shown that customers are increasingly choosing locally, as the convenience sector outgrows the market.
Website: http://www.igd.com/index.asp?id=1&fid=2&sid=2&cid=1893
At the heart of ACS' campaigning work on high streets is a call for a presumption in favour of sustainable development and tougher sanctions on out of town retailers. Commercial Property Services firm CB Richard Ellis provides data that shows that out of town development has outnumbered town centre builds by four to one.
Website: http://www.cbre.co.uk/uk_en/ResearchNew
The Office of National Statistics provides monthly updates on the retail sector, comparing the performance of large stores vs small stores. Towards the end of 2011, a number of ONS reports suggested that supermarkets and other large stores had fallen out of favour with customers, who were increasingly shopping in smaller local shops.
Website: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/index.html