Support the independents

hat are the answers to the challenges that face our High Street? High rents and unaffordable business rates are frequently cited as reasons for closure.

The financial aspect of our retail landscape is so unbalanced, here is a key element that has got to change. How can the rents commanded in Chichester be equal to those in London, when we do not have the footfall or the spending power of those in the capital? How can the current business rate system continue to be fair when profits are generated by online sales from premises that have a fraction of the business rate taxation burden? And how can it be right that Amazon can pay nigh on zero taxes in the UK and contribute so little to our country’s fiscal needs?

The whole thought process needs radical change to reflect today’s business environment, not some outdated system because it is too complicated, or too politically charged to change.

As a community we can nurture what we do have here. We as consumers must make the effort to support independents by voting with our wallets. It is the independents that have the ability to react quickly and directly to change, and that do not have decisions made for them by head office. Whether online, or instore, check out what your local independent is doing. Maybe you buy less, but you can choose wisely who you spend your money with. Maybe you might make a purchase that means going out of your way and is a little less convenient. Maybe you don’t choose the cheapest but discover that by buying locally and/or independently you get a service that is beyond ‘just a box’. I guarantee you that these independents are going the extra mile, and that your choices make a difference.