Shoppers urged not to forget independent stores

Husband and wife Rob Mason and Harley Mason moved into their premises at Hoar Park shopping and craft village in Ansley in 2024

The owners of a small business in Warwickshire have called on shoppers to not forget independent stores in the run-up to Christmas.

Harley and Rob Mason own The Mindful Emporium gift shop on Hoar Park shopping and craft village in Ansley, selling crystals, incense, essential oils and other similar products.

Mr Mason said changes to EU regulations and US import tariffs forced the business to depend less on exports and more on local trade.

His wife posted a video on social media urging people not to forget local businesses at a time many of them are relying on a boost in trade over the Christmas period.

"It was a call out to speak to the people in the local area - we very easily get into our own bubble and shop online," she said.

"But [it was] for them to remember that there's some amazing small businesses out there."

The owners' experience is replicated across the country, the Federation of Small Businesses said.

Its quarterly survey found business confidence among independent traders was at an all-time low.

The business originally only had an online store but owners Harley and Rob Mason decided to open a physical shop a year ago

The Mindful Emporium has been trading for three years, but recent changes to import tariffs brought in by President Trump have affected what they can now ship to the US and the couple have also been been affected by new rules on selling to customers in Europe.

Last year the General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) came into force for retailers selling to customers in the EU.

Its aim is to ensure the sale of safe products to buyers in the EU and Northern Ireland, and introduces specific requirements for businesses regarding product safety information.

But those changes have caused issues for small retailers like The Mindful Emporium.

"Everything international at the moment it's just up in the air, for goods going into the American market it's proving more and more difficult, because we supply goods from all over the world," Mr Mason said.

"It happened in the EU as well, the new GPSR regulations came into force last December and a lot of small businesses, to keep up with the regulations and ship into the EU market, it's just not feasible".

'Rock bottom'

It is a situation that sounds all too familiar to Ian O'Donnell, who is the Deputy Chair of Policy at The Federation of Small Businesses.

"We have a quarterly survey of business confidence, retail and hospitality are two of those that are finding their business confidence at rock bottom," he said.

Shops like The Mindful Emporium are finding it tough to compete with larger companies, he added.

"[They're] facing the challenges of obviously local (UK) economic pressures but also global economic pressures and the challenges of very large e-commerce based businesses who are able to challenge them [independents] in a way that they can't match."

Last week, the government announced its Budget, taking the country's tax take to an all-time high.

Despite that, the official forecaster, the Office for Budget Responsibility, said the measures would have no impact on its economic growth forecasts.