Independent firms have had years of economic turbulence to navigate recently and had been hoping that better times were ahead after the devastating pandemic and lockdown.
“We specialise in electrolysis. The cost to deliver that has gone up. All the stock we buy - wax, oils for therapy, even cotton wool, and the paper we need for covering treatment couches - has increased.Robert added: “Brexit has also had an effect, with all our skincare products coming from France.” It would not be feasible to expect customers to pay the extra, so like many others, the business has had to find a way to absorb the costs.
“There has been such a drop in footfall in the city centre. Lockdown hammered the businesses that rely on footfall. We are not entirely dependent on it but others are like coffee shops etc.“We could do with being able to encourage more people back to the city centre.”