The Live Wire

Campaigning Issues

The retail sector is one of the few growth industries contributing to UK plc, employing one in nine constituents. The sector is so wide that it is affected by the policies of every Government department, from waste management and ethical trading to employment law and skills development. Retail is a dynamic industry that is constantly evolving and adapting to meet its customers' needs and to remain competitive. Innovation has been the secret to our success; an example of this is the thriving development of internet shopping. E-commerce in the UK would still be on the starting blocks were it not for the advances developed by retailers.

Retail exists at the heart of the community and retailers play a vital role in contributing to neighbourhood renewal and regeneration, investing huge sums of money into property, logistics, technology and people. For example, retailers operate in 322,000 outlets and account for 18% of total commercial floor space in the UK. Almost £3m people work in the sector, and in the current climate of global instability retail has kept the UK economy buoyant.

The BRC is campaigning at a high level on retail crime, waste management, transport and planning & regeneration. The BRC is currently working on a wide number of issues, including:

  • Retail Crime
  • Environment
  • Health and Nutrition
  • Employment
  • Business Costs
  • Town Centre regeneration
  • Alcohol
  • Food security
  • Food safety
  • Distance Selling
  • Enforcement
  • Regulatory burden

British Retail Consortium

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