Town Centre

Government rethink on longer Sunday trading welcomed by Usdaw

Shopworkers trade union Usdaw has welcomed reports that the government will not be pressing ahead with plans to deregulate Sunday trading hours having listened to the arguments. The news comes as Usdaw titled government plans for Sunday trading deregulation as a “slap in the face” for key workers and calls…

Read More »

‘Many independent retailers are ready to reopen now’, says Bira CEO

The CEO of The British Independent Retailers Association (Bira) Andrew Goodacre has said many independent retailers are ready to reopen now, having already worked hard to put measures in place to keep both customers and staff safe. The news comes as non-essential retailers will be allowed to reopen from Monday,…

Read More »

Choosing the right location for your business

How is your current business address performing? Is it helping or hindering your growth? You may not need to look for new premises just yet; but you never know what is around the corner. Expansion, end of lease, investment or relocation or any number of landlord related issues may see…

Read More »

Fewer closures, more openings for high street retail

There were more high street retail businesses opening and fewer closing in the first half of 2017, according to a report from the Local Data Company. The data, which studied the top 500 British town centres, found that 2,564 stores closed in the first six months of the year whereas…

Read More »

Independent High Street retailers boom while national chains fall

Data released recently by The Local Data Company (LDC) and British Independent Retailers Association (bira) shows that traditional independent shops opened significantly more shops than in the same period last year. National chains continued to see a fall. Independents account for 65 percent of all retail and leisure units in Great Britain.…

Read More »

Number of independent retailers rises

Data released by LDC and British Independent Retailers Association (bira) has shown that traditional independent retailers opened more shops than were closed in 2016 in Britain’s top 500 town centres. National chains continued to see a fall. Independent shops saw an increase of +159 shops (+0.15 percent) in 2016. This equates…

Read More »

Budget a ‘disaster’ for pet stores, says new PIF Chair

The newly appointed chair of the Pet Industry Federation (PIF) has spoken out against the recent budget, calling it a ‘disaster’ for small high street pet stores. Referring to the announcement last week by the Chancellor, Philip Hammond, that business rates would not be reduced for small businesses, Steve Fowler,…

Read More »

Shop closures at lowest level in five years

The rate of store closures in the UK fell from 16 closures per day in 2014 to 14 closures per day in 2015, claims a new report. According to PwC analysis compiled by the Local Data Company (LDC), 5,138 outlets closed in 2015 compared to 4,640 openings, equating to a…

Read More »

UK retail could lose 900,000 jobs by 2025

There may be as many as 900,000 fewer jobs in retail by 2025, according to a new report published by the British Retail Consortium (BRC). Although there may be less jobs it is thought those that remain will be higher earning and more productive. The reports also suggest that store…

Read More »

Independents’ Day campaign set for July 4

The National Skills Academy for Retail and People 1st has launched its 4th annual Independents’ Day campaign. Celebrating the contribution independent businesses make to the UK, the campaign culminates on July 4 when the public are encouraged to make use of independent businesses. Last year thousands of businesses in over…

Read More »