David Cameron

The Prime Minister gets a qualified thumbs up from retailers for his first year in office. There has been no spectacular economic recovery, but no double dip either and while measures such as higher VAT haven’t been popular, most retailers have supported the need for strong medicine to drive the economy forward.

David Cameron has shown a willingness to engage with retail leaders, who have been increasingly regular visitors to number 10. This has led to some hope on the issues retailers are keen to see change on - for example, the Red Tape Challenge, to scrap regulations that serve no purpose in today’s economy.

But for a former PR man, there is a note of caution, as he has continued the previous government’s tendency towards publicity stunts in place of genuinely addressing problems.

The appointment of Mary Portas to advise on the future of the high street disappointed retailers looking for a serious and balanced analysis of the issues - what retailers will be looking for is if any real action results.