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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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Bira releases new podcast exploring accessibility on the High Street

Posted on in Business News, Cycles News

The British Independent Retailers Association has released the second episode of its 'High Street Matters' podcast series, this time tackling the important issue of accessibility for independent retailers.

Andrew Goodacre

The episode 'Accessability - Unlocking The High Street' dives into why and how indie traders should focus on making their retail spaces more inclusive. Featuring interviews with key figures, the podcast explores the commercial benefits of embracing accessibility.

Andrew Goodacre, CEO of Bira, said: "Many indie traders talk to me about this. They want to be accessible. They can do the things they can control themselves, but a lot of the time they see steps taken around them where people are putting barriers up to coming to the shops and the high streets, and often parking is seen as one of those barriers."

He questioned how some local authorities and added: "They are wanting to be greener, wanting to be more sustainable, wanting to be in their eyes more inclusive. A lot of those plans invariably lead to pedestrianised areas, a realigning of the road network, effectively removing cars out of the town centre...but when you start changing a place and creating unseen barriers to people using that place that starts when these plans are not cohesive and not thought out."

Tony Elvin, General Manager of Touchwood Shopping Centre, said how prioritising accessibility has driven success through schemes such as Purple Tuesday and ShopMobility.

He said: "An independent newsagent's feedback from Purple Tuesday was that a wheelchair user since he moved his shop around they couldn't get a wheelchair through. They could get to the counter but couldn't get around everything they needed. And literally, by turning a counter around he has seen his business increase by people being able to get into his store. He felt like he should have known this already, but only when he received it he realised it. He was delighted by the fact that small changes to make his store more accessible made such a difference."

The podcast also features insights from Alisa Forbes of the International Longevity Centre UK, whose recent "Healthy Retail, Hints and Tips" report underscored the business case for making shops more accessable.

She said: "Above all else it makes commercial sense. A headline statistic tells us that by 2040 older households could be responsible for spending 63p in every £1 by customers. There is also a study which shows a positive in-person experience turns that one-off customer into a loyal repeat customer, whether that's a clean toilet, a welcoming smile, product at the right height. Customers spend in shops when they feel comfortable and welcome. And there is also a moral and social benefit too...our local shops are really vital to the health of our local communities and retailers have a key role in enabling customers to live healthier, happier and more active lives by the actions they take."

Hosted by journalist Steve Dyson, the podcast guides retailers through affordable ways to enhance accessibility within their premises while highlighting the moral, social and economic incentives.

Independent retailers across the UK can subscribe to the "High Street Matters" podcast through major streaming platforms.

New episodes will be released throughout the year and feature issues including the sale of hazardous substances, the cycle to work scheme and many other themes relevant to retailers today. 
 

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