Gift Focus - Mar/Apr 2020 (Issue 118)

92 HOW TO SAVE THE HIGH STREET Martin McTague, Policy Chair, Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), discusses how community and creative thinking could be key to keeping the high street thriving As anyone who runs their own business will tell you, the ability and ingenuity to adapt to changing circumstances is crucial for longer-term survival and growth. Small business entrepreneurs, by their very nature, tend to be nimble when it comes to embracing change. But the challenge of doing that when it comes to high street or town centre businesses has never been greater. From fashion retailers to restaurants, barber shops to bakeries, high streets have been squeezed by a perfect storm of tax hikes, rent rises, growing employment costs, and changing consumer behaviour. Much has been written about their demise, and it certainly is a tough time. But I believe that with the right support and creativity, these community hubs can be transformed to thrive long into the future. The growth of online shopping has clearly had a big impact on high street firms, and retailers in particular, both in terms of price competition and lower footfall. But this isn’t an either-or. Many smaller firms have already found ways of using websites, digital sales platforms and other technology to grow and develop their business. For example, one of our members at FSB, Kemps General Store in Malton, north Yorkshire, has experimented with offering a personal shopping service via Skype and then mailing the goods to customers. It has developed a website to market the business and aims to sell online in the future. Already this thriving high street business has grown to open a second branch in Whitby, and it was named Yorkshire’s Microbusiness of the Year in FSB’s Celebrating Small Business Awards 2019. But there remains a need for support to promote greater digital skills within those high street businesses, which haven’t yet taken full advantage of online and social media – not just direct sales, but also things like digital marketing. There are, however, real cost pressures on businesses in shopping areas. The business rates system is utterly outdated and disproportionately clobbers many high street firms. Thousands have seen their tax bills soar in recent years as a result. Short-term relief from some of these exorbitant bills is something FSB has consistently asked for from the Government, and the funds granted over the last few years have been