1、Christmas trading review and outlook for 2023January 2023 2023 KPMG LLP,a UK limited liability partnership and a member firm of the KPMG global organisation of independent member firms Document Classification:KPMG Public2affiliated with KPMG International Limited,a private English company limited by
2、 guarantee.All rights reserved.Executive summary2022 was a difficult year for the UK retail market mainlydue to the far-reaching implications of the Russia-Ukraine war.In 2023,3 key themes should be front of mind for retailers these are People,Profit and Planet.Paul MartinUK Head of Retail,KPMG UK E
3、mail:paul.martinkpmg.co.ukLinkedIn:https:/ was a difficult year for the UK retail market.Even though the macro-economic clouds were forming at pace at the beginning of the year,the first 2 months of 2022 started well for the sector.Then the Russian Invasion of the Ukraine,resulting in the first land
4、 war on the European continent since 1945,has had many far-reaching implications.Alongside the human tragedy,global supply chains-already under enormous pressure after the Covid-19 pandemic-were stretched even further.Commodity prices for products like wheat and sunflower oil accelerated exponential
5、ly and utility prices exploded all with negative consequences for the UK retail market.This geo-political event resulted in a slow-down in demand and a further increase of costs for retail businesses,with consumer confidence levels reaching historic lows.Despite this backdrop,large parts of the mark
6、et remained resilient and non-food categories,like apparel,benefitted from two years of pent-up demand during the spring and summer seasons.From autumn onwards the macro-economic headwinds,manifesting itself with inflationary pressures rising to 11%+in October and the UK posting negative GDP growth