British SME topic
UK retail and hospitality news covering customers, costs, high streets, rates, regulation and seasonal trading.
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.