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New data - pharmacies, pubs and banks made up half of the closures on Britain's High Streets in the first six months of 2024.

17 Sep 2024

New data has revealed that a total of 6,945 stores have closed so far in 2024 - the equivalent of 38 shops per day, although if you balance this with new store openings, there's only a net... Read more…

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

21 Mar 2024

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... Read more…

Shoplifters working in organised groups targeting shops with co-ordinated raids

11 Sep 2023

A warning has been issued that shoplifters in the UK are becoming increasingly “emboldened” and appear to be often orchestrated by organised criminal groups, which steal to order,... Read more…

Indies drinks retailers short-changed in government duty consultation

16 Aug 2023

Independent quality drinks retailers were woefully underrepresented among those consulted by government over the duty changes now hitting businesses, it has been claimed, after industry magazine... Read more…

Mixed picture emerging about Coronation effect on retail

9 May 2023

A mixed picture is emerging about the effect of the Coronation weekend across the UK's retail sector.
Read more…

Learn from the best social media posts of 2022

20 Jul 2022

Each week Maybe* round up the best social media posts from across the UK. See who's coming... Read more…

ACT partner Maybe* in the press over Independents’ Day weekend 2022

14 Jul 2022

It's been a busy first half of the year at Maybe* HQ and they've kicked off the second half with one of their favourite celebrations, Independents' Day. Maybe*'s support of the campaign made 21... Read more…

How to run winning social media competitions and Instagram giveaways

6 Jul 2022

Running social media competitions and Instagram giveaways are an easy way to build your audience and your engagement. But there are a few tips and tricks you need to master, as well as those... Read more…

Maybe* gives shoppers the chance to win £100 for Independent's Day

30 Jun 2022

Independents' Day weekend is taking place from 2-3 July 2022. To celebrate Maybe* have got a tailor-made competition you can share across social media to encourage your customers to shop indie.... Read more…

Win £500 in social media ads every month

23 Jun 2022

Every month Maybe* gives one of our clients £500 to spend on social media advertising. To enter all you need to do is watch the Maybe* training videos or attend their webinars.
Read more…

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IRC seeks extension to retailer eviction protection in Westminster Hall Debate

Posted on in Business News, Cycles News

IRC member enters Parliamentdebate to seek an extension to the moratorium on evictions within the Coronavirus Act 2020.

The Independent Retailers Confederation (IRC) is a well-established organisation that brings together like-minded trade associations with interests in the small and independent retail sector. It currently represents c.100,000 independent retailers throughout the UK and provides a lobbying platform for increasing the profile and voice of independent retailing within Government and Parliament.

The IRC, led by member The National Hair & Beauty Federation (NHBF), are now calling for a further extension to the Business Tenancies (Extension of Protection from Forfeiture etc.) (Wales) (Coronavirus) (No. 2) Regulations 2020 until the end of the financial year (5 April 2021).

On 23 March 2020, the UK government announced that commercial landlords would be prohibited from forfeiting commercial leases and evicting the tenant for non-payment of rent. This measure was further extended later in the year until 31 December 2020. These measures form part of the emergency Coronavirus Act 2020, enacted on 25 March 2020. 

The measures within the Act have previously been extended through legislation and we now seek a further extension to this.

The key asks are:

  • Tenants need protection from eviction in the form of a further extension to the existing moratorium until 5 April 2021 to reflect the continuing uncertainty of this financial year
  • Landlords and tenant must be obliged to negotiate before legal action can be taken
  • We need some kind of mediation / ADR service to deal with situations that have not been resolved
  • Code of conduct does not work and so we need to something stronger, maybe even a legal frameworks

The British Independent Retailers Association has also noted that their own research shows that after 1st lockdown, 24% of businesses did not re-open and this second lockdown could do even more damage because of the importance of this time of year for generating income. Add to this the potential threat of action from a landlord, stock to be paid for (and it may not have been sold), VAT and tax bills, we have a perfect storm of events that we close many perfectly good businesses.

The NHBF believes that extending the current eviction protection for businesses would save business owners from avoidable stress and worry over the Christmas period and beyond. Furthermore, the UK Government is continuing its work with lenders to ensure flexible support is provided to commercial landlords, including payment holidays and restructuring facilities to address and any potentially adverse implications to such an extension.

Independent retailers are the lifeblood of UK high streets, offering specialist products and services, knowledge and passion for their community. The IRC firmly believes that support such as protection from forfeiture during this most difficult period will allow businesses to come out the other side and once again be significant contributors to local economies.

If you have any evidence to contribute towards any of the points made above, please get in contact with us via info@actsmart.biz.

 

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