Retail group urges new government to reform industry
A leading retail organisation has ramped up pressure on the next government to reform business rates and the apprenticeship levy to rescue the embattled UK high street.
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) said the new government following the 12 December General Election should scrap “downwards transition”, which it said means retailers pay £1.3bn over five years to subsidise other industries.
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Retailers would also benefit from an overhaul of the apprenticeship levy to allow them greater flexibility to spend on any form of accredited training, the BRC said in a report published today.
The report comes at a challenging time for the retail industry, as 3,200 net shops were closed last year and the number of retail jobs lost increased to 67,000 in the fourth quarter of 2018, an increase of 2.1 per cent.
The report – “A Vision for the UK Retail Industry” – also called on the government to bring forward legislation to protect shop workers, citing research that found 115 retail staff on average are attacked each day.
BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson said: “[The report] offers a path to empowering our shops, our shop workers and our communities.
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“Political parties should grasp this chance for reform. The General Election is a unique opportunity to address many of the imbalances that are adversely affecting retailers. Imbalances that have led to job losses and store closures up and down the country.
“Fixing the broken business rates system and reforming the apprenticeship levy would help unlock the necessary investment into skills, stores and online necessary to allow retail to thrive.”
Main image credit: Getty