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'Devastating and out of touch' - independent retailers react to Budget bombshell

1 Nov 2024

Independent retailers across Britain have reacted with dismay to yesterday's Budget, with many warning of store closures, job losses and cancelled expansion plans.
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Devastating Budget Delivers Triple Blow to Independent Retailers, Says ACT and Bira

30 Oct 2024

The British Independent Retailers Association (Bira) and the ACT have condemned today's Budget as the most damaging for independent retailers in recent memory, with... Read more…

Retailers paying one-third of all UK business rates despite making up only 9% of economy

30 Oct 2024

Retailers and hospitality businesses are paying three times their economic share in business rates, according to analysis by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and UK Hospitality.
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How much cash do you still accept? Independent cycling retailers can respond to this survey today

30 Oct 2024

ACT parent company Bira is working with UK Finance and other organisations who form the UK’s wholesale cash industry to gain vital information to ensure businesses get the best possible... Read more…

Bira Conference a huge success with ACT members in attendance

25 Oct 2024

ACT members were in attendance at the hugely successful Bira Conference in London last week, featuring an inspiring line-up of speakers providing valuable insights from independent retail... Read more…

Bira cautiously welcomes retail sales growth but calls for continued support

11 Oct 2024

ACT parent company Bira has responded to the BRC-KPMG Retail Sales Monitor for September 2024
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FSB launches blueprint to revitalise UK high streets and boost tourism

3 Oct 2024

The Federation of Small Businesses has launched a new initiative, which it says aims to transform high streets across the UK, by advancing economic, social, and cultural benefits, while also... Read more…

Award-winning gin distillery to open new shop in Morecambe

3 Oct 2024

A family-run gin company is set to open a new distillery and shop in Morecambe.
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‘Largest independent bookshop in the country’ to open in York

3 Oct 2024

Independent booksellers Topping & Company will open a new bookshop over multiple floors in central York in autumn 2025.
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Three quarters of British shoppers would ban paper receipts on eco grounds, new data shows

3 Oct 2024

3 in 4 Britons (77%) would ban paper receipts if they knew how many trees were cut down to generate them – and millennials are the most eco-conscious (rising to 87%).
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'Pay-as-you-feel' barber wins hairdressing award

Posted on in Business News

A man who offers "pay-as-you-feel" haircuts has been named the UK's best barber.

Donal O'Leary, who works at the Apothecary 87 salon in the Doncaster suburb of Balby, won the Barber of the Year category at the 2024 UK Hair and Beauty Awards.

haircutMr O'Leary said he provided a vital service to people during the cost-of-living crisis by only charging them what they could afford. He was "in shock" after hearing he had won the title.

He added: "I never expected to win. It's something I've been striving for for a while." Mr O'Leary has been a barber for eight years and was encouraged to enter the contest after speaking to his girlfriend and family.

"I've always wanted to enter a competition like this," he said.

"But I've never had the courage to do it."

Haircuts with no fixed price are available once a week to both men and women.

Mr O'Leary added: "With how hard times are at the moment with the cost of living, we thought it would be great to give everyone the chance to have a haircut, make them look and feel good."

Customers include people who have been showering at gyms and sports centres because they were struggling to pay utility bills. Women, who often have to pay more for styling at female-centric salons, have also used the service.

"For some it's really been a massive thing," Mr O'Leary said.

"Being able to get a haircut for free or as much as they can afford is really beneficial."

Mr O'Leary learned to cut hair while he was a student at Trinity Western University in Canada, where he played for the football team.

He added that the pay-as-you-feel haircuts were "good for Doncaster".

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