AccountingWeb

Prevent the extinction of small shops, urges historian

The Keep Trade Local campaign, organised by the Federation of Small Businesses, is aimed at reversing small retailers 2,000 a year closure rate.

The employers' organisation claims that independent shopkeepers are being threatened by the dominance of the UK's supermarket giants. It is estimated that by 2015 there will be no independent high street outlets, equating to the loss of 50,000 small shops.

According to the FSB, which has started a petition on the Downing Street website, vulnerable groups like the elderly and less affluent are the hardest hit by the decline in local stores because they lack transport to travel to out-of-town superstores.

The group is calling for lower business rates for small independent retailers, parking charges decided at local level and the end of 'below cost selling'. The FSB is also demanding the creation of an Office of Retail Planning.

John Wright, FSB national chairman, said: "Over half of business turnover from small retailers is returned to the local community. The same cannot be said of the supermarkets and the large retail multiples.

"The average person now travels 893 miles a year to shop for food. Our message is that shopping in local independent shops is good for the community, good for the environment and good for you."

The FSB's campaign video featuring Adam Hart-Davis can be viewed below: