THE HUB RETAIL RECRUITMENT’S WEEKLY NEWS SNIPPETS
- Date: 2 November 2016
- Posted By: admin
Welcome to The Hub Retail Recruitment’s first weekly news snippets of November. Our top pics this week are: Prices holding – for now; Uber ruling; and The Chinese in Kidlington – now we know why.
Prices holding – for now: The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has reported that High Street prices are still holding. But that’s because stock was bought pre-Brexit, and therefore there’s a time lag before the effects of a weak sterling starts to hit home. The BRC can’t say when, or by how much, this increase will happen but is certain that the cost of higher import prices will start to hit in early 2017. It also says that competition in the sector continues to be brisk – because as consumers we have more choice, and are able to more easily compare prices across various retailers. And that’s very true – when you think about how our shopping habits have changed, if you’re buying say a washing machine, you’re likely to get onto the internet and check out who’s doing the best one at the best price. So Brexit or no Brexit, we’ll still be doing that because for a long time now we’re out to find the best buys so that our money goes further. Here’s a couple of articles about the BRC’s report.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2016/11/02/forget-marmitegate-prices-are-still-falling-for-now/
Uber ruling: Some weeks ago we reported that Uber drivers were taking the company to a tribunal claiming they were workers and not not self-employed, so that they should therefore get workers’ rights. This week the ET ruled on this test case – in favour of the drivers. It will have far reaching implications for what’s called ‘the gig economy’, should the ruling stand. And Uber has said it will appeal – if that appeal fails, there are further appeals that could hold up a final decision for quite some time to come. Interestingly, as you’ll see from this article, which gives you more information about the case, the drivers are being represented by Leigh Day, who is also representing the Tesco and Asda workers – as reported in our Monthly Newsround last week.
Just in case you were wondering, the gig economy is a company ‘in which temporary positions are common and organizations contract with independent workers for short-term engagements’ – this article from last year explains all.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jul/26/will-we-get-by-gig-economy
The Chinese in Kidlington – now we know why: A lighter story to end on. You might remember the extensive news coverage back in the summer about coach loads of Chinese tourists turning up in Kidlington and having their photos taken by wheelie bins and outside the modern houses there. No doubt living in Kidlington is great – but with picturesque Oxfordshire villages just down the road, commentators were scratching their heads about what could possibly be the attraction of this modern outpost of Oxford city. Residents were even finding parties of Chinese in their gardens! Apparently, they prefer the modern houses to the quintessential English thatched cottages! Just goes to show.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-37820663
That’s it for this week. We’ll be back here next Wednesday, so make sure you check out our Weekly News Snippets on 9th November.