consumer-perception
BusinessUK Seeks Industry Views on Electric Vehicle Sales Targets After Backlash
BusinessPolish E-Commerce Allegro’s Unit Sues Alphabet for $568 Million
BusinessIrish Consumer Sentiment Holds Steady Ahead of Christmas
BusinessSeeing Low-Income Consumers Squeezed, Retailers Target $10 and Under Gifts
UK Retailers Report Gloomy Run-Up to Christmas, Cbi Says
Date: December 20, 2024
LONDON (Reuters) – British retailers reported a weak run-up to the Christmas holidays with sales falling again and businesses worrying about higher costs in 2025, the Confederation of British Industry said on Friday. The CBI’s monthly retail sales headline balance improved only marginally to -15 in December from -18 in November. It had also contracted...
German Retailers More Pessimistic in Holiday Season, Ifo Says
Date: December 20, 2024
By Maria Martinez BERLIN (Reuters) – The business climate index in Germany’s retail sector fell slightly in normally consumer spending-heavy December, as retailers assess their current situation as somewhat worse than in November, the Ifo Institute said on Friday. Business expectations for the coming months also declined slightly, Ifo added. This year was very challenging...
Luxury Labels Bulk up on Lower-Priced Goods to Appeal to Middle-Class Shoppers
Date: December 20, 2024
By Mimosa Spencer PARIS (Reuters) – Confronting a broad decline in demand for their usual fare, including $3,000-and-up handbags and $4,000-and-up cashmere jackets, major marketers of designer and luxury merchandise are broadening their product lines to emphasize scarves, belts, wallets and home goods priced at $500 and under. The companies’ renewed focus on more affordable...
German Consumer Sentiment Outlook Modest After Slight Pickup, GfK Finds
Date: December 19, 2024
BERLIN (Reuters) – German consumer sentiment is expected to improve slightly at the start of next year but at a low level as high food and energy prices and job insecurity weigh on households, a survey showed on Thursday. The consumer sentiment index, published by GfK and the Nuremberg Institute for Market Decisions (NIM), rose...
France Fines 12 Household Appliance Firms $635 Million for Price Fixing
Date: December 19, 2024
PARIS (Reuters) – France’s antitrust agency has fined 12 household appliance makers and distributors, including Electrolux, Whirlpool and LG, a total of 611 million euros ($635 million) for price fixing between 2007 and 2014. “These practices reduced competition between distributors and kept prices artificially high for end consumers,” the competition authority said on Thursday. Ten...
UK Water Bills to Rise by 36% to Help Fix Broken Sector
Date: December 19, 2024
By Sarah Young LONDON (Reuters) -Britain’s water regulator said it would allow bills to rise by just over a third in the next five years to fund a much higher level of investment than originally slated, with the aim of fixing the country’s broken water sector. The average increase of 36% before inflation compares to...