| Topic: | Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Reply | |
| Posted by: | Francis Rowe | |
| Date/Time: | 05/12/24 12:26:00 |
| Surely I don't need to explain to you why it would be a bad idea to name local businesses that are on the brink of closure? I know the owners and managers of some local shops and the picture they collectively paint is universally grim. There are several businesses that it is widely believed won't survive long after the new year. Obviously the prospect of Sunday parking will have nothing to do with their closure. The main thing that concerns businesses at the moment is the rise in employer's NICs combined with the increase in the minimum wage. Margins are so tight that these extra costs will probably have to be passed onto customers but in these difficult economic times there are concerns that this might lead to a fall in sales. Sunday parking charges have been looming for some time and their impact won't be straight forward. Some businesses owners don't think that there will be much impact but some believe that, as Sunday is their most profitable day of trading, their bottom line will suffer significantly. One shop owner believes Sunday parking charges will see the end of the markets, which she regrets but this will partly be offset by the reopening on Sunday of the central car park. I've only spoken to a handful of people, so who knows whether these views are representative, but I think you'll struggle to find a shop owner who is confident about what the future holds. A lot of this is down to non-Chiswick factors but the failure of rents to readjust in the current climate is a local issue. If this is compounded by other decisions that reduce trade then it will almost inevitably be terminal for some. |