2023 in Summary

It’s been a very busy year for the BRC, with the cost of living remaining high on the political and news agendas. The BRC has worked hard to explain rising prices and defend retailers in the media and to MPs. We have also pushed hard on the major cost burdens facing the industry, particularly business rates where we have written to the Chancellor multiple times, and received thousands of pieces of coverage of our asks. We were successful in getting EPR payments deferred a year, to 2025, creating time for aspects of the policy to be reshaped. Our crime campaign has also gained momentum through the year, with the Labour party now supporting our calls for a standalone offence for assaulting or abusing a shopworker.

In the Devolved Nations in 2023 we were in the vanguard of securing a rethink and deferral of Scotland's DRS and separate Scottish plans for in-store restrictions on marketing alcohol; and we blunted onerous new Welsh regulations on businesses separating waste. We led successful campaigns to obtain a business rates freeze in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland (the latter saving retail £64.5m). Our advocacy in Wales paid off with the unveiling of a Welsh Government retail strategy as well as legislation to implement more frequent rates revaluations.  

Overall for 2023, we gained over 80,000 piece of coverage (up 20% on last year) including 5,500 in national newspapers and broadcasts. The team handled 2,500 direct media enquiries in 2023 (up from 2,000 in 2022) and around 650 media referrals from members.  

In 2024, we will be launching our Retail Manifesto, outlining the importance of retail to the British economy. This will also signal a step change in our General Election engagement, as we prepare to get retail-friendly policies into the party manifestos. As such, we are already lining up meetings with MPs and other key decision makers to discuss the key issues of business rates, crime and more.