Latest news with #VirginMediaO2Business
Scotsman
30-07-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
Data shows sunny outlook for retailers as Brits plan to go big on summer spending
Virgin Media O2 Business today publishes its latest Movers Index, revealing that 55% of UK retailers anticipate positive summer results, despite a challenging Q2. Sign up to our Scotsman Money newsletter, covering all you need to know to help manage your money. Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Virgin Media O2 Business today publishes its latest Movers Index, revealing that UK retailers are hopeful for a summer surge, following a 4% increase in weekend high street tips in Q2, compared to the first quarter of the year. This is a promising sign after falling high-street trips were seen in Q1 and Q2 last year. The quarterly Movers Index is based on combining anonymised and aggregated UK movement data from O2 Motion* with national polling findings, to reveal key behavioural trends. The combined data paints an accurate picture of movement patterns and the trends influencing them. Summer sparks a spending spree Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Man walking down the street. The outlook is optimistic for retailers this summer; 55% expect the summer holidays to have a positive impact on their business, as a quarter (25%) of consumers plan to increase their spending over the next three months. This summertime spending surge will be crucial for retail businesses following a difficult Q2, where 38% of Brits cut back on non-essential purchases and 41% were more budget-conscious when shopping. Spending this summer will largely be driven by seasonal food sales, with 60% of Brits more likely to host a barbeque at home than head to the pub. This comes as over half (54%) admit going to the pub less to save money. Meanwhile, almost half of Brits (49%) will spend time eating 'picky bits' in the garden, with the nation's preferred picnic items revealed as crisps or similar savoury snacks (56%), fruit (50%) and sausage rolls (46%). To cash in on consumer demand and maximise revenue, 41% of retailers are planning to introduce special summer deals and discounts. Quality goods, tech and local loyalty drive high street buzz Despite a 1% drop in weekend high-street trips to retail areas in Q2 compared to last year, 56% of Brits still prefer shopping in person to using online apps, as they feel more confident that they know what they are getting in-store. 42% agree that products sold through online shopping apps are never as good quality as those sold on the high street. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Brits also remain loyal to local businesses, with 55% of shoppers stating that supporting their high street is important to them when making purchasing decisions. On average, shoppers would pay 35% more in-person for an item they could purchase online if it meant supporting a business on their local high street – a 6% increase from Q2 2024 (29%). Technology is another key factor bringing Brits back to the high street, with 48% of consumers frequently using tech solutions to enhance their in-person shopping experience in the past three months. When asked which technologies would entice them to shop in-person more, consumers top responses were same-day delivery from local stores (32%), real-time stock availability systems (29%) and personalised in-store offers, via smartphone (20%). Office return driven by air con and flexibility, as mandated days set to rise Mobile data shows a 2% decrease in commuting trips to major towns in Q2 compared to the same time last year. Breaking it down by age range, those aged 25-34 have decreased their commuting trips by 10% year-on-year, whereas morning commutes for 18–24 year-olds have increased by 8%, suggesting younger professionals enjoy going into the office more. To drive increased office attendance, over three quarters (78%) of office-based businesses have now mandated at least three days per week in the office. The most common incentives to encourage employees to return to the office are flexible hours (40%) and comfortable office amenities (40%). Employees are making the most of these perks, as one in four (26%) admit heading into the office for free air conditioning in the warm summer months. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad British workers plan to take an average of 7 days of annual leave this summer, with 34% taking 10 days or more. For most Brits (30%) holidays and trips are set to be their top spending priority over the next three months. Jessica O'Connor, Director of Product at Virgin Media O2 Business, said: 'The latest Virgin Media O2 Business Movers Index highlights the potential for summer to bring a welcome retail boost, as Brits flock to the high street. Mobile data reveals a surge in retail trips this quarter, signalling a promising shift in contrast with last year's shopping dip over the same period. 'For retailers to the make the most of summertime spending, it will be key to provide customers with the in-store convenience and experience that they're looking for – from real-time item availability to mobile promotions on high-demand items such as picnic food and holiday essentials. Shoppers are seeing the value making purchases in-person, as long as the experience is smooth from the moment they step inside.' Accurate mobile data provides retailers with a rich picture of customer movement to help tailor the in-store experience to them. As retailers look to respond to these trends and support their customers, Virgin Media O2 Business is ready to help. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Almost half of Britons expect to spend less over next three months, figures show
Almost half of Britons expect to spend less over the next three months as retailers already face significant falls in visitor numbers compared with a year ago, figures show. Some 45% of consumers say they expect to spend less and 41% are 'actively' looking for ways to cut unnecessary spending, according to the latest Movers Index from Virgin Media O2 Business. There has been an 8% year-on-year drop in retail visits for the first three months of the year, the index, which combines anonymous UK movement data from O2 Motion with survey findings, shows. Nearly half of consumers (46%) have cancelled at least one subscription, rising to 80% of those aged 18 to 24, the figures show. Meanwhile, office attendance has continued to climb in the first months of this year, with more than half of British employees (52%) going in more frequently. Mobile data shows the first few months of the year were marked by a 5% increase in commuting trips, and a 1% increase from the same time last year. Wednesday remains the most popular day of the week to go to the office, while 38% of workers now commute five days a week. Most workers (65%) view return-to-office mandates positively, helped by a boost in perks and workplace culture. Workers are also planning to make the most of their return to the office, with 77% planning to shop in-store after work at least once a week, and 66% planning to catch up with friends and family, according to the findings. Jessica O'Connor, director of product at Virgin Media O2 Business, said: 'The latest Virgin Media O2 Business Movers Index shows a first glimpse into key trends shaping 2025 – office life is continuing to make a comeback and retail is adapting for resilience. 'With half of workers commuting more often and full-time office mandates rising, O2 Motion data indicates a shift in how people use city spaces.' Strand Partners surveyed 2,002 UK adults and 2,004 businesses between March 28 and 31. Sign in to access your portfolio
ITV News
28-04-2025
- Business
- ITV News
Almost half of Britons expect to spend less over next three months, figures show
Almost half of Britons expect to spend less over the next three months as retailers already face significant falls in visitor numbers compared with a year ago, figures show. Some 45% of consumers say they expect to spend less and 41% are 'actively' looking for ways to cut unnecessary spending, according to the latest Movers Index from Virgin Media O2 Business. There has been an 8% year-on-year drop in retail visits for the first three months of the year, the index, which combines anonymous UK movement data from O2 Motion with survey findings, shows. Nearly half of consumers (46%) have cancelled at least one subscription, rising to 80% of those aged 18 to 24, the figures show. Meanwhile, office attendance has continued to climb in the first months of this year, with more than half of British employees (52%) going in more frequently. Mobile data shows the first few months of the year were marked by a 5% increase in commuting trips, and a 1% increase from the same time last year. Wednesday remains the most popular day of the week to go to the office, while 38% of workers now commute five days a week. Most workers (65%) view return-to-office mandates positively, helped by a boost in perks and workplace culture. Workers are also planning to make the most of their return to the office, with 77% planning to shop in-store after work at least once a week, and 66% planning to catch up with friends and family, according to the findings. Jessica O'Connor, director of product at Virgin Media O2 Business, said: 'The latest Virgin Media O2 Business Movers Index shows a first glimpse into key trends shaping 2025 – office life is continuing to make a comeback and retail is adapting for resilience. 'With half of workers commuting more often and full-time office mandates rising, O2 Motion data indicates a shift in how people use city spaces.' Strand Partners surveyed 2,002 UK adults and 2,004 businesses between March 28 and 31.
Business News Wales
24-04-2025
- Business
- Business News Wales
University Sites Connected by Dark Fibre Network
Virgin Media O2 Business has completed building a dark fibre network loop across eight university sites in Swansea, the Swansea Bay City Deal's Digital Infrastructure Programme has announced. Dark fibre networks offer practically limitless capacity and speeds, with the innovative loop configuration ensuring a continuous data flow between educational sites. This will benefit research, teaching and collaboration across the academic landscape. The network, which is only accessible to linked sites, will also provide secure, high-speed, and scalable connectivity, improving the efficiency of internal systems while providing increased capacity to increase to suit the demands of the sector. The network will immediately increase bandwidth to 40Gbps, with the potential for 100Gbps between campuses in the future. This means all Swansea campuses are now connected at exceptionally high speeds that are usually only available at a single campus location, with future proofing for even higher speeds helping create a parity of experience for students across SA1 in both the short and long term. This will enable high-flex teaching, ultra high-quality video streaming and immersive learning environments, while also supporting future research as well as smart campus solutions to enhance efficiency and sustainability. The deployment of this infrastructure means that in the event of network disruption, traffic can be instantly rerouted, maintaining reliable connectivity and ensuring uninterrupted academic activity. James Cale, of the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, said: 'This is an exciting phase where we will now start to tangibly see the benefits of a dark fibre network across campuses. The ability to fully exploit technology within a class or research environment offers both academics and students a far wider range of opportunities, whilst making our sites more data secure. This is something that is widely needed to future proof further education in this region.' This project realises the Digital Infrastructure Programme's ambition of ensuring public sector bodies have access to the best possible technological resources. It opens up limitless opportunities for collaboration between institutions and accelerates the pace of technological innovation across public sector services. Cllr Rob Stewart, Leader of Swansea Council and Chair of the Swansea Bay City Deal Joint Committee, said: 'This is a fantastic milestone in the region's plan to adopt emerging technology into our public sector services. Creating more robust ways of collaborating, data sharing and ways of researching is a fundamental aspect of how we build best practices across our education and healthcare sites. This will open up more innovation opportunities in the future.' The new network, which will be fully available by December 2025, will offer significantly improved capacity and speed, and will allow large amounts of data to be securely shared and saved. On completion, the dedicated dark fibre network will connect 36 public sector sites throughout Swansea and Neath Port Talbot, including local authorities, healthcare and education partners.
The Independent
27-01-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Weekend high street visits down 5% despite shoppers' best intentions
Weekend high street visits fell by 5% last year despite shoppers saying they want to support local businesses, mobile data shows. Despite consumers claiming to be willing to pay an extra 23% more to support local businesses, nearly one in four (23%) admit to shopping less frequently on their high street last year, according to the latest Movers Index from Virgin Media O2 Business. This is reflected in the numbers of weekend trips to high street and shopping centre areas which fell by 5% and 9% respectively between 2023 to 2024, the index, which combines anonymous UK movement data from O2 Motion with survey findings, shows. The largest falls were in the summer months, with a 4% drop in December. Store closures surged by 28%, with 63% of Britons expressing worries about further closures. Compounding this, more than half of retailers (53%) reported a noticeable decline in shoppers spending time in-store, and 40% noted reduced spending. Just over a third of consumers (34%) said they aimed to cut down on overspending on non-essential items, and 33% planned to reduce impulse buying. The data also shows that 2024 saw a further shift in hybrid working policies, with 88% of workers subject to compulsory office attendance. As a result, more than three quarters of employees (76%) began commuting at least three days a week, and 39% commuted to the office five days a week. Almost three quarters of those polled (74%) said they felt feel positive about mandatory office attendance policies. Diego Tedesco, director of commercial, product and marketing at Virgin Media O2 Business, said: 'Our full-year Virgin Media O2 Business Movers Index shows a disconnect between shoppers' intentions and actions. 'Despite ambitions from many to shop locally, budgets remained tight and high street visits saw a sharp decline as a third (37%) shopped more online.' Strand Partners surveyed 2,010 UK adults and 2,011 businesses between December 24-31.
