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Family-run jewellers celebrates its centenary by giving back to the community.

17 Jul 2023

A family-run jewellers in Kendal, which reaches its centenary this year, is putting giving back to the community at the heart of its celebrations.
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Independent retailer wins judicial review case over deposit return scheme.

4 Jul 2023

Independent convenience retailer Abdul Majid has won a judicial review case against Circularity Scotland, which was appointed by the Scottish government in 2021 to administer Scotland’s... Read more…

Asics reported to have halted supplies to UK independent sports shops.

4 Jul 2023

The Guardian has reported independent sports retailers saying their businesses are under threat after Asics said it was cutting off supply to hundreds of small UK outlets, joining Nike and... Read more…

Half of young European consumers find it acceptable to buy fakes.

4 Jul 2023

A new study on the perception of consumers towards intellectual property published by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) has found that although 80% of Europeans believe... Read more…

Elmy Cycles featured in Daily Express ahead of Independents’ Day weekend.

29 Jun 2023

With this Saturday and Sunday marking Independents’ Day weekend, the culmination of the annual campaign to promote independent retailers around the UK, ACT member Elmy Cycles in Ipswich... Read more…

“AI has the potential to revolutionise the way retailers operate,” says Theo Paphitis

28 Jun 2023

Former Dragon Theo Paphitis has predicted retail will be revolutionised by AI technology.
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The Association of Convenience Stores publish their Crime Report of 2023

23 Jun 2023

The report estimates that there were over 1.1m incidents of theft reported last year. The most commonly stolen items as reported by retailers are meat, alcohol and confectionery –... Read more…

How fine food retail can be part of the solution to ultra-processed food

19 Jun 2023

Scientists and researchers have compelling data, showing ultra-processed food could be responsible for several health conditions – a recent piece in Speciality Food Magazine set out to... Read more…

PayPoint launches digital shopper marketing platform

19 Jun 2023

Retailers will be able to drive customer spend, digital media use, push new product development and increase sales and distribution, claims PayPoint, following the launch of a new digital... Read more…

High streets of the future will need to think beyond retail, says new report

19 Jun 2023

Just 42% of people in the UK rate their local high street as good or very good, according to the latest Legal & General Rebuilding Britain Index.
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Energy crisis prompts fears of a ‘generation of lost businesses’

Posted on in Business News, Cycles News, Creative News, Outdoor News

Nearly 14% of small UK businesses expect to close in the next twelve months, according to a new report published by the Federation of Small Businesses.

The FSB has warned that rapidly rising energy prices could provoke a succession of business collapses. Its data shows that nearly 53% of small companies expect to stagnate, downsize, or fold in the next year. Fuel and utilities were the most-mentioned causes of this increase in costs.

FSB National Chair Martin McTague is quotes as saying:

“Far too many small businesses are finding it hard to stay afloat with spiralling operating costs and reporting energy bills mushrooming by four or five times in recent months.

“While domestic consumers quite rightly have at least some protection through the price cap and are being given direct cash support, there is no price cap for small businesses and currently no financial support either, despite many seeing energy costs soaring at an alarming rate.

“We also need to see immediate allocation of unspent Covid additional relief funding to help businesses with rising energy costs.”

Mr McTague added that there are levers the government can pull – energy bill support for small firms to match that given to households, a reduction in VAT on energy, a cut in fuel duty.

He said: “Cost pressures more widely could be eased through a reversal in the recent national insurance hike and taking more small firms out of business rates. The government needs to grasp hold of these levers and start pulling them now.
“Small businesses are at the heart of both the economy and communities, and account for 60% of private sector employment.
“The importance of providing support for small businesses in these worrying times cannot be over-stated and must not be overlooked. The number of small firms in the UK shrank by almost 400,000 over the first year of the pandemic. Without support at this time of costs crisis, this year could turn out to be equally catastrophic.”

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