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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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Welsh Government Announce £20m Future Proofing Fund for Retail Businesses in Wales

Posted on in Business News

A number of organisations, including Bira (the British Independent Retailers’ Association), other trade associations, BIDs and unions have met with officials from the Welsh Government to discuss the coming availability of a £20m Future Proofing Fund to help businesses to strengthen their profitability through investment in their business.

welsh Deagon


Available to retail, hospitality and leisure sectors, grants of between £5,000 and £10,000 will be awarded to cover up to 75% of project costs or £10,000, whichever is the lesser amount and it is expected that businesses will fund the remaining 25% from other sources.

The fund will be available for eligible businesses in Wales, either headquartered or having an operating address in Wales, who employ people in Wales.

In a recent press release from Gov.wales, Economy Minister Vaughan Gething said:

“The ongoing cost-of-living and cost-of-doing-business crises continues to present difficulties to businesses across Wales.

These grants will help micro, small and medium sized businesses from the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors to make some significant changes in the way they run their operations so they can adapt for the future.”

The final details and criteria of the funding are being agreed at this moment and we will share complete details as soon as we see them.

There will be an eligibility checker opened on the Gov.wales website in mid-April 2024 and applications will open in May 2024.

It's important to note that the application window will remain open for just 3 weeks or until the fund has been exhausted.   It will therefore be vital that businesses act quickly to work out projects and to collate the necessary evidence and data required, ready for the application window in May.

Our understanding is that projects will be assessed towards the end of Spring 24, and successful businesses will be announced around August 2024.

Any funded projects must be delivered and claimed for by the end of the financial year.

“This £20m fund is a great opportunity for businesses in Wales, but it’s important to note that it will only extend to 2,000, maybe 2,500 businesses, so it’s imperative that you keep a close eye on the timeframes involved and act quickly once the eligibility checker and the subsequent application window opens up.” said John Halliday, Bira’s Director of Marketing.

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