BRC CEO Helen Dickinson: Why 2025 needs a Manifesto for Retail

Our last Manifesto came out before the General Election and a lot has changed since. But for the industry, many of the barriers to investment remain.

In fact, some have got a whole lot more challenging. This may not be an election year but our policy recommendations for government are as important as ever. That’s why we published our 2025 Manifesto for Retail, Kickstarting Growth in the Everywhere Economy.

The ‘everywhere economy’ is a good way describe retail because its reach and scale touches every community. The largest private sector employer and contributing over £105bn to the economy puts the industry in a strong position to support the government in its aim to kickstart economic growth.

Unfortunately, retail’s capacity to invest is being held back. Retailers are operating in a more challenging environment after last year’s Budget. The measures announced, including increased employer National Insurance contributions, a much lower employer NIC threshold, and an uplift in the National Living Wage, along with the new packaging levy, have left the industry with £7bn in new costs this year.

We’ve been clear about the impacts of these measures. Without mitigation, we are likely to see increased prices, job losses, and shop closures.

A survey our members’ CFOs and FDs revealed that two-thirds would raise prices (67%), and half would be reducing ‘number of hours/overtime’ (56%), ‘head office headcount’ (52%), and ‘stores headcount’ (46%), as a result of the rising employer NIC costs. So a better tax and policy environment is needed more than ever.

Whilst the outlook is challenging, there are plenty of opportunities. There have been encouraging signs from government on intentions to introduce reforms across many of the areas which are holding back investment, whether on planning, skills and apprenticeships, or business rates.

The devil, as ever, is in the detail; this will ultimately decide to extent to which these policies help or hinder retail investment and our potential for growth.

This is where the Manifesto for Retail 2025 comes in. Its policy briefings address our overarching industry priorities, while outlining the potential to boost the British economy and support local communities.

We call on the government to invest in growth, through meaningful business rates reform, getting retail crime under control, improving the planning system, and ensuring a long-term trade strategy and framework.

To invest in people through the reformed Growth and Skills Levy and an Employment Rights Bill that protect employees whilst supporting employment. And to invest in sustainability through fit-for-purpose recycling and waste schemes, a coordinated national food strategy, and investment in net zero vehicles and renewable energy generation.

Taken together, our Manifesto sets out a vision for the future of retail which can become a reality. To achieve it, we need the UK and Devolved governments to ‘#BuyIntoRetail’ and work together with retailers towards these shared goals.

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