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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.
Read more…

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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New Conservative Party chairman writes responds to NFSP DVLA petition.

Posted on in Business News

The National Federation of Subpostmasters has received a response from new Conservative party chairman Richard Holden MP regarding the petition to keep DVLA services in post offices.

DVLA Postoffice petirion

A petition with 100,000 signatures was presented to Downing Street by the NFSP earlier this month. Six million people use the Post Office network for accessing DVLA services each year and the NFSP is calling on government to reverse its decision to remove DVLA services from the network from the end of March next year.

Mr Holden wrote:

“In terms of DVLA services, an extension to the current contract with the Post Office Ltd has been agreed to ensure that DVLA services will be available at post offices until the end of March 2024.

“The DVLA wants its customers to be able to access its services as quickly and easily as possible and is considering the role that face-to-face counter services will play in the future, utilising cross-government agreements where possible.

“I can assure you the government recognises how important post offices are to communities and more than £2.5 billion in funding has been provided to support the Post Office network over the past 10 years, with a further £335 million between 2022 and 2025. This package includes funding of £50 million a year to ensure the viability of rural and community branches.

“However, Post Office Ltd is a commercial business operating at arm’s length from government. While the Department of Business and Trade sets the high-level parameters for the Post Office as set out in the Post Office Articles of Association, it is the Post Office’s Chief Executive, together with the Board of Directors who are responsible for running Post Office Ltd.’s day-to-day and taking commercial decisions.

“The Department for Business and Trade’s long-standing position is not to involve itself in Post Office’s commercial decisions. This is the position whether Post Office Ltd is negotiating with a private company or with another part of government.

The NFSP has extended the petition deadline to Monday 8 January. Please continue to share the online petition here. Offline petition forms can be found here.

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