Retail Snapshot Q2 – 2026
Wednesday 8th April 2026
Welcome to our latest Retail Snapshot
A summary key legal and regulatory developments impacting affecting retail businesses in Q2 2026.
What’s happening in Q2:
This quarter we see:
- Updates to price marking laws – The Price Marking Order 2004, which governs the way in which retailers must display pricing, has been amended;
- Increases to the National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage rates are due to take effect on 1 April 2026;
- New employment rights rules come into force, affecting:
- Parental leave
- Paternity leave
- Trade unions
- Statutory sick pay
- Redundancy process
- Whistleblowing
- The launch of the Fair Worker Agency; and
- Delivery of Online Safety Act – Ofcom is expected to deliver the final major components of the Online Safety Act regime and details are expected to be published in the summer.
Scroll down for more detail…
Employment Rights Act 2025 — Further provisions in force
From April 2026, further provisions of the Employment Rights Act 2025 (“ERA 2025”) will come into force. The ERA 2025 is intended to modernise employment law by strengthening worker protections, and the changes taking effect this quarter are substantial.
Updates to Price Marking laws
The Price Marking Order 2004, which governs the manner in which retailers must display pricing information, has been amended.
Delivery of Online Safety Act 2023 regime
Throughout 2026, Ofcom is expected to deliver the final major components of the Online Safety Act 2023 regime, which is designed to protect users, and in particular children, from harmful online content.
If you would like to discuss any of these changes in more detail, please get in touch with one of our retail specialists.
