New Reports
Tyre Industry 2010
The apparent UK market for rubber tyres and tubes was worth an estimated £1.29bn at manufacturers' selling prices (msp) in 2009, a reduction of 12.6% from the figure for 2008. The economic recession and its impact on the automobile-manufacturing sector, both in the UK and overseas, was a major contributing factor in the decline. UK tyre producers and suppliers will face a number of legislative changes during and after 2010. In March 2010, new S-marking legislation aimed at reducing noise from tyres is set to come into force...
Franchising 2010
Franchising covers almost every area of the economy, so, as well as being well represented in the UK, it is also fairly robust. Although the total value of the market was estimated by Key Note to have fallen in 2009, both the number of franchisors and the number of franchised units continued to rise, which, given the depth of the recession, is considered extraordinary by some...
Opticians & Optical Goods 2010
The retail environment in the opticians market remains highly competitive, and expansion and consolidation remain key features. In 2009, two of the largest chains — Boots and Dollond & Aitchison (D&A) — merged their activities, and Specsavers continued its store expansion programme both in the UK and overseas. Vision Express also integrated the GC Bateman Group of opticians, which it acquired in 2008, while Tesco further increased the number of its in-store optical practices.
OTC Pharmaceuticals 2010
Key Note estimates that the total market was worth £2.35bn at retail selling prices (rsp) in 2009, having increased in value by 10.2% since 2005. The market is robust and although intrinsic growth remains low year-on-year, it is bolstered by consistent consumer demand, as well as strong brand loyalty for popular OTC remedies. In fact, consumer enthusiasm for well-known, time-honoured brands, such as Nurofen, Panadol and Strepsils, among others, has strengthened over the review period (2005 to 2009).
Music Industry 2010
Although music retailers such as Woolworths and Zavvi have fallen by the wayside, the leading retailer, HMV, remains strong and the recording industry is backed by four giants, which have been in place for more than a decade. One of these `majors' is the UK-based EMI Group, a major force for many decades and still reaping the benefits of having The Beatles in its back catalogue, while the label's Coldplay had the best-selling album in the US and the UK in 2009.
Contact Centres 2010
The rush to send contact-centre work offshore during the early 2000s backfired significantly because of the resulting miscommunications that made many callers dread having to telephone a contact centre. Communication is not just a matter of words but of words in a cultural and emotional context. However, new research for Contact Centres appears to confirm that this is something offshoring companies fail to understand...
Lingerie 2010
The market has performed well over the review period (2005 to 2009), and has withstood the sharp declines experienced by many retail sectors during the recession. This is partly due to the essential nature of underwear purchasing, but the industry has also benefited from many women viewing lingerie as a relatively inexpensive ‘pick-me-up’ at a time when the recession was biting into other areas of spending. The total UK lingerie market reached a value of £2.8bn in 2009, representing a 16.1% increase since 2005.
Recruitment Agencies (Permanent) 2010
In the year ending March 2009, the value of the permanent recruitment market stood at £2.61bn, and the number of permanent placements made was 582,803. These figures represent a massive drop of 39% and 19.8%, respectively, compared with the previous 12 months. This slump in demand has been devastating for recruitment firms, and every sector of the market has been affected, especially jobs in financial services, construction, property and retailing. Some markets — such as driving and industrial/blue collar — have almost disappeared.
Computer Hardware 2010
The UK computer hardware market was worth £12.81bn at end-user prices in 2008, a rise of 4.2% over 2007 and its highest level of output since 2000. However, the effects of the recession in 2009 led to a fall of 8.2% in sales to £11.77bn. Personal computers (PCs) and servers in particular averaged a higher annual growth over the period between 2005 and 2008, whereas peripherals and add-ons declined in total value sales.
Automatic Vending 2010
Key Note estimates that the UK market for products sold via automatic vending machines fell in value by 4% in 2009 to £1.94bn. The number of refreshment vending machines in operation in the UK is estimated at 468,000 in 2009 with the number of cigarette machines put at around 69,000. In 2009, retail sales of refreshment vended products accounted for an estimated 1.9% of household...
Local Government Services 2010
The period of economic recession that began in the UK in the second quarter of 2008 has had a severe impact on local-authority finances, leading to cutbacks in many areas of service provision. This is despite the fact that many of the services provided by local authorities do not depend directly on consumer demand or the strength of the economy, but are provided in response to political decisions taken at both national and local level...
Forecourt Retailing 2010
The value of forecourt retail sales of motor fuel has fluctuated considerably since 2004, mirroring the volatility in crude oil prices, and consequently that of pump prices. In value terms, retail sales of fuel saw double-digit growth during 2005 and 2006, followed by a small decrease in 2007. However, steep price increases during the following year meant that 2008 saw another double-digit growth in sales value, which was followed by a moderate rise in 2009.
In the News with Key Note
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