Category Archives: Business111.com

            We can’t afford to have almost 1 million young people out of work but small businesses can no longer afford to employ them. This is a structural issue, it’s not just ‘a bit worrying’. It’s economically and socially massive. The latest official government figures show that around 957,000 young people (16–24) are currently NEET (not in education, employment or training). That’s about 1 in 8 of everyone in that age group. The impact onContinue reading “1. £1bn for small firms — but are microbusinesses being left out again?”

              The Government is promising an extra £1bn of lending for small and medium-sized businesses over the next five years, unveiled by the Small Business Minister as part of its Plan for Small Business. On the surface, that sounds like welcome news. Access to finance has long been a brake on growth, and most businesses will need to borrow at some point to invest, expand or simply manage cashflow. But the detail matters —Continue reading “1. £1bn for small firms — but are microbusinesses being left out again?”

            There is some welcome relief on energy bills — but only if you’re a household. From April, the Energy Price Cap will cut typical domestic energy bills by around 7 per cent, reducing annual costs by roughly £100 for the average household. That matters, because energy prices have been one of the biggest drivers of the cost-of-living crisis. But for small businesses, there is no cap, no protection and very little comfort. Retailers, cafés,Continue reading “There is some welcome relief on energy bills — but only if you’re a household”

            It’s been an interesting day as far as opinions about business are concerned. In the blue corner we have a new consortium of entrepreneurs calling on the Government to be radical and have a complete reset so that businesses can survive, flourish and pull the UK out of its doom loop. In the red corner we have the Chancellor’s entrepreneurship tsar saying we don’t need any more restaurants and hospitality venues and that’s notContinue reading “Entrepreneurs say ‘reset the economy’ as ministers question the value of hospitality”

            Walk down almost any high street and you can see the strain. Chocolate bars locked in cabinets, empty shelves where shops used to trade, and owners working longer hours for less money. Small retailers are being hit from every direction at once — rising bills, higher wages, punishing business rates and now a surge in shoplifting that is pushing already fragile businesses closer to the edge. This isn’t just a crime problem or aContinue reading “Locked fridges, empty tills and closing shops: retail is on the brink”