The warning lights for Britain’s small businesses are beginning to flash. Conflict in the Middle East is already pushing up fuel prices, threatening fertiliser supplies and setting off a chain reaction that could ripple from farms to restaurant tables and high streets. A single shipping route — the Strait of Hormuz — carries aContinue reading “Fuel, Fertiliser and Fear: Small Firms Brace for Price Storm”
Category Archives: Liz Barclay
Now’s not the time to refuse to take cash: don’t give consumers a reason not to shop with you.
High Street shops are increasingly accepting only card or phone payments, taking security, costs and the way customers are behaving into account. This comes from research among small businesses by Link which runs the UK’s biggest cash machine network. About three quarters of the businesses asked still accept cash but of the other quarterContinue reading “Now’s not the time to refuse to take cash: don’t give consumers a reason not to shop with you.”
Ditch the business cards — networking as we know it is dying
While ministers hail G7-leading growth, fresh small business data shows slowing sales, cautious hiring and mounting pressure on retail and hospitality margins. What’s really going on in the small business economy? Photo by Jakub Żerdzicki on Unsplash While the Chancellor applauded the UK’s growth in the Spring Statement today, as the fastest in theContinue reading “Ditch the business cards — networking as we know it is dying”
Spring statement stale before it started – Growth talk rings hollow as small firms struggle
The Chancellor spoke of stability and growth, but with confidence falling, costs rising and global turmoil intensifying, many small businesses fear the economic reality has already overtaken the promises. You may well think this strange, but I felt sorry for the Chancellor this lunchtime. She had to deliver her Spring Statement knowing it wasContinue reading “Spring statement stale before it started – Growth talk rings hollow as small firms struggle”
Confidence crash: bosses lose nerve as economy stalls
Business confidence is a fickle thing. The latest index from the IoD (Institute of Directors) shows that the confidence figure in February was -63, having risen in Jan to -48 from an historic low of -72 in Dec. The latest figure came out before the rapidly developing situation in the Middle East started soContinue reading “Confidence crash: bosses lose nerve as economy stalls”