Retail confidence recovers

Results from the second quarter Bureau for Economic Research (BER) Retail Survey reveal that the confidence levels of retailers recovered slightly after reaching a 5 year low during the first quarter of 2008.

Having tumbled from 71 index points in the fourth quarter of 2007 to 52 index points during the first quarter of 2008, retailer confidence edged up to 56 index points in the second quarter. The BER’s retailer confidence index depicts the percentage of respondents reporting that they are satisfied with prevailing business conditions.