Retail employment rises

British Retail Consortium employment monitor

• In the first quarter of 2012, retail employment rose by 0.4% compared with the same quarter a year earlier, the equivalent of 3,011 more full-time jobs.
• During the same period the number of retail outlets grew by 4.9%, a net increase of 858 shops.

Footfall: up and down

British Retail Consortium: footfall and vacancies monitor

• Footfall in the three months November to January was 1.8% up on a year ago, better than the 2.3% fall in the previous three months.
• Footfall improved in all types of locations, particularly out-of-town with a 3.1% increase, compared with high streets up 1.4% and shopping centres up 0.8%.
• Averaging over the last 12 months shows high streets have fared worst, with a 4.8% decline.
• The hardest-hit locations in the past three months were Scotland (-8.5%) and the South West (-7.5%). Scotland was also one of the worst in the previous three months.
• Wales (11.4%), Northern Ireland (7.2%) and the South East (7.1%) held up the best.