Tring shop owner reacts to 'Shop Out to Help Out' campaign
Save the Street are calling for the government to set up a retail support scheme
Save the Street are calling on government to support independent shops.
The owners of Fancy That, an independent shop in Tring, is reacting to the proposed scheme by STS. The group is formed of industry experts who want to help support and promote the high street.
They previously called on the government to extend the business rate relief but now want a focused voucher scheme for the industry, as an open letter from them reads:
Having successfully campaigned for the extension of business rates relief in the last Budget, we’re now asking the government to put in place an ‘Eat Out To Help Out’ style incentive for independent retailers. For a year we’ve been encouraged to stay at home, while small local businesses close left, right and centre. Our suggestion is a ‘Shop Out To Help Out’ scheme, which would see the government cover 50% of the cost of goods at independent retailers, capped at £10.
However Jonathan, one of the owners of Fancy That, says this wouldn't fix the real issues:
"I think the government have been overly very supportive so far of small retailers.
"There are some people are really suffering at the moment and it could help them.
"I think it would be short term solution, and not fix the bigger issues. At some point it would have to be paid back too, by our children or our children's children.
"More to the point for us the issue is business rates, so in our 26 years we have paid out around £150,000.
"This is ridiculous, you don't get anything for that, you just have to pay it for being on the high-street and online businesses don't need to do this."