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Stellar line-up for Independent Bookshop Week

19 Jun 2023

A stellar line-up of authors have been taking part in this week’s Independent Bookshop Week 2023 with the likes of Ann Cleeves, AJ Pearce, Danielle Brown, poet laureate Simon Armitage and... Read more…

Bira calls for level playing field as Amazon UK Services pays zero corporation tax again

8 Jun 2023

Bira, the British Independent Retailers Association, has expressed its concern and frustration after it was revealed that Amazon UK Services had, for the second consecutive year, paid zero... Read more…

Bank holidays fail to boost retail sales in May

7 Jun 2023

The three bank holiday weekends in May failed to boost UK retail sales, with growth slowing in May according to new industry data.
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Retailers need to rise to challenge of keeping the high street is relevant

7 Jun 2023

New data shows that the public is craving a change to their local high street in order to continue visiting it, with nearly half of those surveyed believing that high streets are no longer... Read more…

Retailers urged to prepare for ban on selling single use plastic

5 Jun 2023

The government has published guidance to help businesses prepare for the ban on single-use plastics which is due to come into force in October.
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Retail workers face money challenges at alarming rate

31 May 2023

A report published by financial institution Claro Money’s wellbeing division on the effects of money worries for retail workers found that 73% of retail workers feel negatively about their... Read more…

Federation of Independent Retailers says more needed to be done to support smaller businesses in Wales

24 May 2023

Whilst it has welcomed some elements of the Welsh Retail Action plan, the Federation of Independent Retailers (the Fed) said more is needed to be done to support smaller businesses.
... Read more…

Nearly half of customer service staff consider quitting over growing customer abuse

22 May 2023

More than two-fifths (44%) of customer service staff are considering leaving their roles due to increasing levels of cost-of-living fuelled abuse from customers.
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Friendliest high-street businesses include hairdressers and coffee shops, reports new study

22 May 2023

More than half of Britons (55%) say they have received helpful life advice from a local small business owner, new research reports.
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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.
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Retail industry reacts to Chancellor’s mini budget

Posted on in Business News, Cycles News

Following the Chancellor’s mini-budget last week, the retail industry has been reacting to the support package for small businesses and independent shops….including some of the items conspicuous by their absence.

Following Kwasi Kwarteng’s statement, the Government provided further details to its plans to help cut energy bills for businesses through the new government Energy Bill Relief Scheme. The Government will provide a discount on wholesale gas and electricity prices, and it will apply to fixed contracts agreed on or after 1 April 2022, as well as variable and flexible tariffs and contracts. To deliver the scheme the Government has set a “Supported Wholesale Price” – expected to be 21.1p per kwh for electricity and 7.5p per Kwh for gas. The scheme will apply to energy usage from 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023 for businesses and will be reviewed in three months to inform decisions on future support after March 2023.

However, industry leaders have also said that the Chancellor’s economic plan failed to address business rates or VAT cuts that are needed to support the high street. The consensus view is that whilst much of the Chancellor’s statement was welcome, more support is needed for parts of the economy heavily hit by the pandemic and likely to come under pressure from households stretched by the rising cost of living.

Money notes

The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) chief executive, James Lowman, said: “We welcome that the government’s plan aims to stimulate growth and incentivise investment by businesses. In the last 12 months local shops have invested £605million in improving services, making their businesses more sustainable, and creating secure local jobs.”

However, retail leaders also called for action on business rates before large bill increases are expected to take place next year.

Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium (BRC), said: “Retailers are facing immense cost pressures, not just from energy bills, but also a weak pound, rising commodity prices, high transport costs, a tight labour market and the cumulative burden of government-imposed costs.

“Yet what was missing from today’s announcement, was any mention of business rates, which are set to jump by 10% next April, inflicting another £800m in unaffordable tax rises on already squeezed retailers.

“It is inevitable that such additional taxes will ultimately be passed through to families in the form of higher prices.”

Experts at Altus Group predicted that total business rates bill are due to jump by more than £5.3 billion once the end of discounts for retail, leisure and hospitality firms are also taken into account.

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