a nation of #shopkeepers - #10 bits of info

the "nation of" phrase is commonly attributed to Napoleon 1 "une nation de boutiquiers" - and according to the wikipedia entry was a phrase N claimed was not disparaging but "merely a statement of the obvious fact that British power, unlike that of its main continental rivals, derived from commerce and not from the extent of its lands nor its population"  (although apparently the phrase 1st appears in The Wealth of Nations (1776) by Adam Smith and has also been attributed to Samuel Adams and/or Josiah Tucker, Dean of Gloucester)


This recent note from HMG sets out some stats about the retail industry - 10 bits of info that caught my eye ....


1) Wholesale and retail trade contributed 11.3% (£152 billion) of total Gross Value Added in the UK economy in 2011. 

2) The retail sector employed a total of 4.2 million people in 2011, 15.3% of the Great Britain total. This is the largest broad industrial group in Great Britain by the number and proportion of employees. 

3) There are 428,000 businesses operating in the retail sector in the UK, 8.9% of UK businesses. Despite representing less than 10% of all enterprises, the retail sector accounts for 35% of all turnover in the UK.

4) In 2011 non-specialised stores (shops which sell a variety of products, such as supermarkets, convenience shops or department stores) made up only 20% of retail businesses in the UK, but accounted for 50% of retail turnover and 47% of employment in the retail sector

5) The value of internet sales as a proportion of total retail sales rose from 2.7% in January 2007 to 9.7% in January 2013. 

6) In the music and film sector, more than half the sales of physical products (not including downloads) are already online. 

7) Just over a quarter of electricals’ sales are now online, where the dominance of well-known brands makes it easy for shoppers to compare prices.

8) Between five and ten per cent of many fashion retailers’ sales are now online and Javelin suggests that this could increase to as much as 25 per cent within ten years.

9) In 2000 49.4% of retail spending took place on the High Street compared to 42.2% today. This was expected to fall to 39.8% in 2014.

10) Retail is “one of the few sectors with a presence in every neighbourhood”, and it has a considerable “multiplier effect” on local economies, with shoppers also supporting the tourism, food and drink, and leisure industries in local areas.