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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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Small Stuff named as one of Best Small Shops Innovators

Posted on in Business News, Cycles News

In the thirSmall Stuffd instalment of our ‘Meet the Innovators' series, we spoke to Hellen from Small Stuff, an eco-conscious children's lifestyle shop in Sheffield about how the forced closure of her bricks and mortar shop led to her thinking of new and innovative ways to connect with customers.

"I already had a basic online store, but spent the first week making sure products were up to date, giving options such as free local hand-delivery to our local community, free gift wrapping and hand written card services for lockdown birthdays and gift purchases and free national delivery to not only really to drive custom to our website, but to support my customers," Hellen explains.

"I offered local safe social distanced hand deliveries, personalised recommendations (via email and video chat) and made sure the deliveries were as efficient and personal as possible. I also made sure that I was as transparent as I could be; by utilising social media "stories" and "lives".

Hellen adds: "I could constantly show the safety measures I had in place working from home (I took all my shop stock home during the lockdown in order to quickly be able to wrap/answer queries) in order to make sure customers understood and trusted their purchases. There were a number of different delivery choices available for customers too."

Speaking about new initiatives developed during lockdown that she will continue to harness, Hellen says: "There are a few really positive trials that I started during the closure of the store that I am going to continue; the free gift wrapping and hand written card service - it makes such a difference to the customers to be able to purchase something with a lovely added surprise for the recipient.

"There are lots of interesting ways to link the website and the shop together is something I'm continuing to work on too, with ideas for new product videos, email and video consultations and also working on an app which should integrate scan, pay and go options for in store purchases.

"Of course running an independent business definitely has stressful and hard days, but being able to be so adaptable during a time that was never imaginable has been so liberating. I've never thought of myself particularly as a problem solver, but I think like most independent business owners - this has been one of the most testing times to adapt, pivot and change and think of new and innovative ways to connect with customers and keep the business going."

Enter your shop for the Best Small Shops Competition ‘Most Innovative Business During COVID-19' category here!

Small Stuff image credited to - ©G&AMedia

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