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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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'You have to put in 110% to make a living' says independent retailer

Posted on in Business News

BBC Norfolk has highlighted small businesses calling for more support to help them increase their presence in the High Street.

Norfolk

Jewellery retailer Hollie Woodham has been selling in Norwich for the past 20 years but is concerned closed shops nearby affect footfall to hers, Nova Silver.

New and old businesses in Norwich agreed the key to establishing a thriving local economy was more support from local and national government.

Their thoughts echo the findings of a new report from the Federation of Small Businesses which has urged local authorities to create a specialised fund to support pop-ups, markets, and temporary use initiatives for first-time businesses to encourage new ventures on the High Street.

Ms Woodham said fluctuating customer levels also made it hard for the store to predict staffing requirements.

"There's a lot of shops that are closing down. Again, that doesn't bring people into the city; they think you're already closed.

"So it would be really helpful for pop-up shops to be in the city and to make a bigger community of independent shops."

Jon Lee runs a pop-up business, Feel Good Ice Cream, supported by Jarrold's department store.

He said he would like a more permanent presence on the city's high street.

"When you go from a small pop-up to a shop, it's a huge expense, and it's a bit of a financial burden on small businesses like myself," he said.

"So I think where you could meet in the middle, is where you could have the opportunity to go in [to a retail space] for a few months, to see if your model is going to work."

Jon Hook has recently re-opened a coffee shop, The Courtyard Cafe on Elm Hill.

It had been closed by previous owners for more than two years due to Covid and cost-of-living pressures.

Manager Tina Smart said since opening, she had been turning customers away on days the cafe was closed, so she remained optimistic about its prospects.

Mr Hook said: "Business rates, staffing costs; it isn't easy for small businesses.

"It's a tough gig and you really have got to put 110% in to make a living."

His views are reinforced by the findings of the FSB report.

FSB spokeswoman Candy Richards said: It’s important that small firms across the East of England are provided with the right environment, infrastructure and flexibility to be successful – and in turn help grow their local economy."

She said business rates remained a huge burden on high street small businesses, with the current Small Business Rate Relief (SBRR) a key part of their survival.

The research found 26% of high street small businesses in the East of England said they would not survive without SBRR.

The FSB wants the SBRR threshold increased to help small firms.

It is also recommending free parking is offered on certain days to help increase footfall and would like free bus travel on certain routes.

The Business and Trade Secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, said: “Our mission is to bring economic growth to every part of the UK.

“I welcome the FSB’s thorough and detailed study and we will be engaging with them, and businesses across the country, as we develop our understanding and response to these important recommendations.”

A Norwich City Council spokesperson said: A council spokesperson said: “We recognise the valuable contribution independent retailers make to the social and economic life of the city and we understand many of them have been through a hard time since Covid, which is why we want to make the city centre more accessible and connected to more of our residents.

“To maintain a thriving city centre the council recognises it may need to find new and different ways to influence and cultivate the retail offer of Norwich.

"It’s why we are working closely with our partners in the public and private sectors to address these factors.”

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