The British Retail Consortium today launched its Buy into Retail
Manifesto, calling on Andy MP to work with retailers and back
reforms to employment costs, business rates, energy, and
regulation needed to support an incoming government's ambition
for jobs, growth and a thriving high street.
Retailers are clear that these ambitions can only be achieved if
businesses have the confidence and certainty to invest in jobs,
growth and affordability. This will require greater partnership
between government and businesses: something Mr Burnham has
promised to do. The timing could not be more important; with
youth unemployment is rising, retailers have a vital role as the
first step on the career ladder for almost a quarter of 18-24
year olds.
Retail employs 2.8 million people in every city, town and
village; millions more are employed within its supply chains.
These jobs are essential for Burnham's pledge to create good
growth in every postcode'. Yet rising costs, including a £6.5
billion increase in employment and National Insurance in two
years, are putting many jobs at risk, with 400,000 lost in the
last decade.
has already begun to outline
his focus for Government, including spreading jobs right across
the country, making high streets as a symbol of Britain's
renaissance', and reforming business rates. The retail Manifesto
reflects many of these ideas, calling on government to cut retail
rates, use recent legislation to crack down on retail crime, cut
the cost of employing young people, and ensure skills and
employment rights reforms raise standards without harming
employment.
The Buy into Retail Manifesto: Jobs,
Growth and Affordability, call on Government to:
1. Cut the cost of employing young people to create more jobs
2. Deliver employment rights and skills reforms that keep people
in work and training
3. Launch a government-retail taskforce to expand routes for
young people into employment
4. Get a grip on retail crime - with zero tolerance
5. Fix business rates to unlock investment in high streets and
support local jobs
6. Make electricity costs competitive for retailers so consumers
don't pay the price
7. Support investment in retail sites everywhere
8. Keep goods moving freely across borders and ensure fair
competition
9. Strip back overlapping regulation that adds to prices
10. Join up government decisions so new costs and rules don't
land at once
Helen Dickinson, Chief Executive of the British Retail
Consortium, said:
"Retail is where the economy shows up in everyday life. It is
where millions of people earn a living. Retail is part of the
everyday economy, touching every community across the UK.
"When retail thrives, more people are in work, investment flows
into local communities, and fierce competition drives prices down
for families. But cumulative costs and fragmented policy
decisions are holding the industry back. Retailers have absorbed
£6.5 billion in additional employment costs since 2024, as well
as billions more in new packaging taxes, business rates, and
rising electricity costs. The consequences are clear: fewer jobs,
less investment and higher prices for consumers.
"Andy Burnham has made collaborating with business to drive
growth, high streets, and living standards central to his
ambition. Retail is a key partner to deliver it: with the right
policies, retail can drive investment, support jobs in every
postcode, and keep household essentials affordable. Our manifesto
offers a path for Mr Burnham to support the millions of people
that rely on retail every day."
-ENDS-
For the full manifesto, along with greater detail on the asks,
see here: https://brc.org.uk/priorities/2026-buy-into-retail-manifesto/
