The bicycles market had a difficult year in 2011 as a result of the squeeze on household incomes which affected discretionary leisure spending.

However, the longer-term outlook for bicycles is positive, with demand expected to continue to grow during the next five years.

Read the full report on Mintel (Oxford members only).

The concept of the department store is alive and well, but overall sector performance is very much down to the performance of the individual major operators. Although most companies have yet to announce 2011/12 results, we expect them to be quite mixed once again.

Read the full report on Mintel (Oxford members only)

Pizza/pasta restaurants risk losing market share in the UK, both to home cooking and to other cuisines. While more than four in five consumers report eating in a restaurant at least once in three months, only two in five have eaten in a pizza/pasta/Italian restaurant.

Read the full report at Mintel (you will need to log in using your Single Sign-On – select “Athens/Federated login” on the top navigation bar, then “UK Federation login”.)