Tag Archive for shops

How to cope with the slow return to trade post-lockdown

Originally written by Stuart Crook on Small Business
July 4 marked the most recent phase of coronavirus restrictions easing in the UK, which allowed for pubs, restaurants, and private events to return to trade post-lockdown. Engineering, construction, and non-essential retail had already re-opened, however many are discovering that it isn’t simply a case of “business as usual”.
The Government has offered many different forms of financial aid during the pandemic to help businesses weather the economic freeze, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) and Bounce Back Loans (BBL), which have all been greatly received. However, even with businesses opening their doors to the public again, there are new rules and restrictions in place which must be followed which will impact on the bottom line of businesses and squeeze margins.
So, the challenge now isn’t so much restarting operations, but finding a way to do so profitably.
>See also: A quarter of entrepreneurs don’t use social media for their small business
Demand for sales
The Government was praised for its £330bn war chest at the beginning of lockdown to help businesses survive and protect the nation from mass unemployment. The idea was that it would protect the economy and ensure

Read more...

How to cope with the slow return to trade post-lockdown

Originally written by Stuart Crook on Small Business
July 4 marked the most recent phase of coronavirus restrictions easing in the UK, which allowed for pubs, restaurants, and private events to return to trade post-lockdown. Engineering, construction, and non-essential retail had already re-opened, however many are discovering that it isn’t simply a case of “business as usual”.
The Government has offered many different forms of financial aid during the pandemic to help businesses weather the economic freeze, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) and Bounce Back Loans (BBL), which have all been greatly received. However, even with businesses opening their doors to the public again, there are new rules and restrictions in place which must be followed which will impact on the bottom line of businesses and squeeze margins.
So, the challenge now isn’t so much restarting operations, but finding a way to do so profitably.
>See also: A quarter of entrepreneurs don’t use social media for their small business
Demand for sales
The Government was praised for its £330bn war chest at the beginning of lockdown to help businesses survive and protect the nation from mass unemployment. The idea was that it would protect the economy and ensure

Read more...

Landlords blocked from evicting small businesses for another three months

Originally written by Timothy Adler on Small Business
The Government has blocked commercial landlords from evicting small businesses from shops and other premises for another three months until end-September.
The U-turn will come as a huge relief for small businesses struggling to pay rent as businesses reopen post lockdown to uncertain, if non-existent, demand.
Up until yesterday, the draft voluntary code of practice being circulated made no mention of extending the original three-month moratorium on landlords repossessing premises and evicting tenants for non-payment of rent due to Covid-19.
>See also: How to ask for a commercial rent freeze from your landlord

The Government will amend the Coronavirus Act to extend the moratorium on evictions from June 30 to September 30, meaning no business will be forced out of their premises if they a miss a payment in the next three months.
Secondary legislation will prevent landlords using Commercial Rent Arrears Recovery unless they are owed 189 days of unpaid rent
The Corporate Insolvency and Governance Bill will be amended, extending the temporary ban on the use of statutory demands and winding-up petitions where a company cannot pay its bills due to coronavirus until September 30

However, the draft code of practice encourages tenants to continue to pay their

Read more...

Landlords blocked from evicting small businesses for another three months

Originally written by Timothy Adler on Small Business
The Government has blocked commercial landlords from evicting small businesses from shops and other premises for another three months until end-September.
The U-turn will come as a huge relief for small businesses struggling to pay rent as businesses reopen post lockdown to uncertain, if non-existent, demand.
Up until yesterday, the draft voluntary code of practice being circulated made no mention of extending the original three-month moratorium on landlords repossessing premises and evicting tenants for non-payment of rent due to Covid-19.
>See also: How to ask for a commercial rent freeze from your landlord

The Government will amend the Coronavirus Act to extend the moratorium on evictions from June 30 to September 30, meaning no business will be forced out of their premises if they a miss a payment in the next three months.
Secondary legislation will prevent landlords using Commercial Rent Arrears Recovery unless they are owed 189 days of unpaid rent
The Corporate Insolvency and Governance Bill will be amended, extending the temporary ban on the use of statutory demands and winding-up petitions where a company cannot pay its bills due to coronavirus until September 30

However, the draft code of practice encourages tenants to continue to pay their

Read more...

Only 10% of customers planning to go back to shops when they reopen

Originally written by Timothy Adler on Small Business
Just 10 per cent of customers plan to go back to non-essential shops when they finally reopen on Monday, June 15.
Another 32 per cent of shoppers do plan to drift back to shops, just not right away, according to a new poll.
However, 37 per cent of customers are either planning to stay away from bricks-and-mortar shops, do all their shopping online, or are still undecided.
>See also: Tenants back to facing eviction for non-payment of rent as shops reopen
And 29 per cent of people say they plan to stay out of shops for some time, social distancing or not.
This latest poll makes depressing reading for independent retailers hoping to bounce back quickly having spent nearly three months shut due to coronavirus.
According to data platform Dynata, one third of those who plan to venture into shops would leave if social distancing measures are not followed.
And 42 per cent of Britons think it’s too early to reopen the High Street in England, with 16 to 34-year-olds believing that the Government has moved too quickly.
People in the South are more reluctant to return to the High Street than those in the North.
Of course, some independent retailers have

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The essential guide to setting up a pop-up shop in the UK

Nearly a third of new British businesses will begin life as a pop-up shop, according to a study by EE. From being a niche alternative to a long retail leasehold, created by the 2008 financial crash, pop-up shops have gone mainstream. From food to fashion, to bookshops to sport shops, retailers small, growing and large
The post The essential guide to setting up a pop-up shop in the UK appeared first on Small Business.

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