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Small Business Strategy Inquiry 2025 - ACT and Bira call for members to share their voice

20 Jun 2025

The House of Commons Business and Trade Committee has asked the ACT, and its parent company Bira, to help them reach out to small business retailers across the country, for their quick input on... Read more…

Beyond the discount: Restoring integrity to the cycle supply chain

18 Jun 2025

The Association of Cycle Traders believes the time has come for greater accountability throughout our supply chain, writes ACT Director Jonathan Harrison in an article published for BikeBiz.
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Bira welcomes Wales' business rates proposals but calls for key improvements

11 Jun 2025

Bira has welcomed the Welsh Government's consultation on business rate reforms for retail shops, whilst calling for significant improvements to ensure the proposals truly support high street... Read more…

New awards launch to champion Britain's independent high street heroes

9 Jun 2025

Retailers on Britain's high streets are being encouraged to put themselves forward for the first-ever Love Your High Street Awards, designed to celebrate the small businesses that bring... Read more…

"Tectonic shift" in employment law threatens independent retailer viability, warns Bira podcast

6 Jun 2025

Independent retailers are facing a "generational" transformation of employment law that could fundamentally change how small businesses operate, according to the final episode of Bira's first... Read more…

Retailers hope warm weather and bank holidays will boost high street sales

16 May 2025

ACT parent company Bira has said that members are hopeful the warm weather, Easter weekend and upcoming bank holidays will provide a much-needed boost to high street sales.
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Economic growth surges to 0.7%, but "April reality check" looms for high street retailers

15 May 2025

UK economy delivers strongest quarterly performance in a year despite forecasts of business downturn.
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Communities come together for Local Bike Shop Day 2025 celebrations

13 May 2025

Local Bike Shop Day 2025 brought a wave of... Read more…

ACT parent company Bira welcomes Bank of England's latest interest rate cut

8 May 2025

ACT parent company Bira has welcomed the Bank of England's decision to reduce interest rates from 4.5% to 4.25%, calling it a "much-needed boost" for the retail sector, including for cycling... Read more…

ACT parent company Bira responds to Beales' "Rachel Reeves Closing Down Sale" as iconic store makes final protest

8 May 2025

ACT parent company Bira has responded to the news that the 144-year-old Beales department store is staging a "Rachel Reeves Closing Down Sale" in its final weeks of trading, with giant yellow... Read more…

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Search For Britain's Best Small Shop of 2019 Gets Underway

Posted on in Cycles News

The annual search to find Britain’s Best Small Shop, a competition managed by the Independent Retailers Confederation (IRC), begins today with a focus on consumer engagement and how independent retailers promote all that is special about their businesses to the local community and consumers at large.

Celebrating personal commitment, innovation and community engagement, the Best Small Shops competition has proven successful in recognising the contribution of independent retailers on the UK’s high streets and shopping parades. The 2018 competition had “by far the biggest impact of anything we have been involved in before” – said 2018 winner, Rosamund de la Hey of The Mainstreet Trading Company.

The launch coincides with Independent’s Day, the national campaign which celebrates and promotes the UK’s independent retailers each year on 4th July. The competition is open to any UK independent retailer, selling goods or services to the public.

Independent’s Day

Independents’ Day UK is an annual campaign held on the 4th July each year, with this year seeing at least 100 different town management teams, business improvement districts and local business groups across the country are participating in initiatives to promote the day.


Image source: TalkingRetail.com

Competition Timeline

The competition closes early September and a shortlist of the most impressive applicants will be invited to attend the competition reception in November, where they will have the opportunity to meet with trade representatives and other shortlisted retailers, before the winner and runners up are announced.

For 2019 competition entrants will be challenged with promoting the benefits of their retail offering to consumers with the initial selection process being voted on by the general public at indieretail.uk.

The most successful applications selected over 10 weeks of consumer voting will go forward to an industry panel and formal review, to select the shortlist for the reception event. Competition entrants will need to succinctly showcase their proposition to consumers, outline areas of community engagement, alongside innovation and development plans for their business over the coming years.

Submit your entry

The competition opened at 10am today at bestsmallshops.uk.

To enter the competition you will need to:

  • Be an independent retailer, defined as a non-corporate business selling goods or services to the public for use or consumption rather than for resale, from a business rated premises in the UK
  • Create a public facing listing on the Indie Retail website
  • Complete the online competition entry form in full at bestsmallshops.uk
  • Submit your entry before 8am on Monday 9th September 2019

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