Despite a year-on-year 4% rise in retail sales reported by the Office of National Statistics, the British Independent Retailers Association warns that it still isn’t time to feel confidence.
“The positive results for retail sales growth in February are encouraging and will certainly be a help to many struggling retailers…” said bira CEO Andrew Goodacre. “However, it is still an incredibly difficult market and margins continue to be under pressure.
“Retailers still need help and these results shouldn’t be a distraction from the issues they face on a daily basis, in particular the ever-increasing costs and paperwork. Local authorities can support their local independent retail businesses by automatically implementing the forthcoming reduction in rates for those with a rateable value of £51,000 or below for example.”
Bira works with more than 6,000 independent businesses of all sizes including members of the Pet Product Retail Association.
