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Yorkshire bike shop wins first ever Local Bike Shop Awards

1 May 2026

An independent bike shop in Yorkshire has been crowned the first ever Local Bike Shop Awards winner, securing 42% of the public vote.
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Public vote opens for inaugural Local Bike Shop Awards

24 Apr 2026

Cycling enthusiasts across the UK are being invited to vote for their favourite independent bike shop as the first ever Local Bike Shop Awards enters its final stage.
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Local Bike Shop Week Awards: Meet the Judges

19 Apr 2026

From our many brilliant entries down to 8 finalists, the judging panel will be evaluating and championing independent bike shops up and down the country that make an impact in their... Read more…

Independent bike shops urged to enter inaugural awards as deadline approaches

16 Apr 2026

The ACT is urging independent bike shops to enter the first ever Local Bike Shop Awards before entries close on Sunday 19th April.
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First ever Local Bike Shop Week Awards launches to celebrate independent cycle retailers

1 Apr 2026

An awards scheme celebrating independent bike shops that go above and beyond for their communities launches this week.
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February retail sales dip signals growing consumer anxiety, warns ACT parent company Bira

30 Mar 2026

ACT parent company Bira has warned that falling retail sales in February are an early sign of consumers reining in their spending amid growing economic uncertainty.
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Bira calls for business rates reform and action on overseas imports alongside new government investment

26 Mar 2026

Bira has welcomed the government's £319 million investment in high street revitalisation, while warning that without reform of business rates and action on overseas imports, many high... Read more…

Chancellor's High Street Roundtable | Campaign Update from ACT parent company Bira

19 Mar 2026

The Chancellor held a roundtable discussion on a future high street strategy last week, with Bira the sole voice representing smaller retail businesses. Read an update on Bira's place at a... Read more…

Independent bike shop takes stand against selling or repairing e-scooters with police echoing plea

18 Mar 2026

An independent bike shop is refusing to sell or repair e-scooters over concerns about how they are being used, with the area’s police force backing the call and urging others to follow... Read more…

ACT parent company Bira backs calls for online marketplace accountability over dangerous product safety failures

13 Mar 2026

Findings from consumer rights publication Which? add to calls from the E-Bike Positive campaign to better scrutinise these sites and promote quality e-bikes from reputable manufacturers and... Read more…

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IRC creates Independent Retailers Rent Survey

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Although the high street has now been able to IRCreopen for a full month now, this does not mean the problems caused by the COVID-19 crisis are anywhere near over.

The Independent Retailers Confederation's (IRC) aim to assist high street shops in getting back up and running. This involves the creation of campaigns such as the 'We are open' shop map- a directory of UK shops and small businesses that are still open and operating responsibly during COVID-19, and the Best Small Shops competition- a competition championing indie retailers showing innovation throughout the pandemic. Indie Retail are also temporarily providing free job advertisement to all retailers. 

The IRC believe that when it comes to saving the high street we are all in this together and that the future of the high street is dependent upon all indies surviving. In the most recent efforts to help the high street all IRC members are promoting a questionnaire to gather information on the experiences independent shops have been having with landlords and rent payments.

Many businesses across the high street have been struggling to pay their rents due to the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown. To date, the only action the Government has taken on this issue is the introduction of a voluntary Code of Practice for commercial landlords and tenants many retailers do not believe goes far enough.

With that in mind, the IRC have created the Independent Retailers Rent Survey. The survey should take less than 5 minutes and will help inform our lobbying with Government, provide us with an idea of what is happening across the market and bring some much needed media attention to the plight of indie businesses across the high street. All results are confidential and will not be shared except on an anonymised and aggregated basis.

Complete the Independent Retailers Rent Survey now  

The deadline for the survey is Friday 31 July.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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