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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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£14 for a latte could become a reality, warn coffee shop owners

Posted on in Business News, Cycles News

The owners of a coffee shop in Kent have wanted that they may need to increase the price of coffees to £14 each to meet their rising energy costs.

Chris and Anna Vidler, who own an independent restaurant called The Lane in Deal, Kent, expect their gas and electric bills to increase to more than five times than they are currently paying. And to keep up with rising energy prices, they have calculated that their £2.90 latte would have to rise to £14.30 a cup.

As reported in the Daily Mirror, Chris said: "We are already down, despite a reasonably busy summer. We're noticing empty seats because people are staying home when they don't have as much money to spend."

When shop’s electricity contract runs out at the end of this year, new quotes take the price from £15,000 per year to around £69,000. At the end of February their gas contract will also need to be renewed - with the new quote set to take them from around £400 per month to around £2,400.

Chris added that while the Prime Minister has introduced a cap on energy bills for households, as a business owner he is left confused about what to do.

The Prime Minister last week announced an unprecedented intervention in the energy market to cap household bills at £2,500, promising an “equivalent guarantee” for businesses for the next six months. But little detail was given by the government on how it intended to cap costs for the business sector, where pricing is more complex. It is thought that this further detail could be delayed by a period of national mourning following the death of the Queen.

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