Northern Ireland’s hospitality sector is seeing tourists return, but jobs still fell by about 2,000 over 2025. For small businesses, that gap matters: fuller streets do not automatically mean healthier margins, steadier rotas or easier hiring.
A new government business rates support package for retail, hospitality and leisure firms has moved a step closer after the Subsidy Advice Unit published its report on HM Treasury’s proposed scheme. For small businesses, that…
Fresh forecasts of a sharp rise in household energy bills this summer are another reminder that UK small businesses may not get much breathing space on costs either. Cornwall Insight now says the household price…
A new government-backed energy-saving tool could be worth a look for hospitality SMEs that are tired of watching margin leak away through lights, fridges, extraction systems and other everyday power use. The scheme, announced on…
Small employers across the UK have been handed a new reason to look again at apprenticeships and entry-level hiring. The government says a fresh £1 billion youth employment package will help unlock 200,000 jobs and…
Higher oil prices are already feeding through into the day-to-day costs that many UK small businesses feel first: fuel, deliveries, supplier charges and customer confidence. Over the weekend, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said the government…
The government’s latest energy-security package will not cut bills overnight, but it could matter for SMEs watching utility costs, customer demand and the potential arrival of plug-in solar.
Ministers are pressing fuel retailers over pump prices and signalling support for heating oil users. Here is what UK small businesses should watch on costs, margins and local demand.
Fuel duty remains frozen for now, but small businesses should prepare for continued uncertainty over transport and running costs.