During the Chancellor’s Budget 2020 speech, Rishi Sunak confirmed an increase of tax relief to innovative businesses valued at £22 billion by 2024-25, as well as an additional £1.5 billion spread across all counties and British nations.  This relief is reserved for those undertaking qualifying research and development (R&D) work, giving tax credits to firms investing time and money in...

As the Coronavirus pandemic escalates across the UK and the rest of the world, the Chancellor of the Exchequer has moved to provide financial aid to retailers of all shapes and sizes with emergency fiscal measures relating to business rates. During Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s Budget 2020 speech, he confirmed some retailers would be made exempt from paying a penny in...

52 of the UK’s biggest retail chains have joined forces to demand that the UK government reviews its planned overhaul of business rates. The joint letter, which was sent to the government via the British Retail Consortium (BRC), claims that the upcoming reforms to business rates don’t go far enough to assist ailing retailers on the UK’s high streets. The...

The UK’s gross domestic product (GDP) registered zero growth in the final quarter of 2019, with leading business groups leading calls for the upcoming Budget 2020 to provide a new wave of optimism for the nation’s small business community. New data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) confirmed that UK GDP flatlined between October and December last year...

The capital’s commercial property market is expected to be more buoyant in 2020, after the end to political uncertainty in the UK. The Conservatives’ overwhelming majority in Parliament has broken the impasse on Brexit and subsequently investors in London’s real estate believe the next 12 months will bring an end to stagnant property values and office demand among growing businesses...

The recommendations from the independent Low Pay Commission to increase the UK’s National Living Wage (NLW) have been accepted by the UK government, with a 6.2% wage rise proposed for workers aged 25 and above. The scheduled increase to NLW for those aged 25 and over ensures the NLW will hit the target of 60% of median earnings from April...

If you are currently occupying a commercial property in some shape or form, there’s a high probability that you may be liable to pay business rates. Whenever a property or part of a property is used for non-domestic purposes, business rates are charged. This means that all kinds of premises like offices, pubs, retail stores, warehouses and yards will be...

If you are a new or growing business, you will appreciate the importance of committing to a new commercial property lease. It’s an agreement that ties you to a premises for a defined period, so it’s vital that you make sure you choose the right workspace for you, your employees and your clients. As an owner-manager of 5.5 million square...

In an ideal world, your next retail unit would be in tip-top condition, ready for you to start selling your goods from day one. The reality can be much more frustrating for growing retailers that want to maintain their momentum and exposure with consumers. In fact, it’s very common for new tenants of retail properties to undertake fit out works...

There are plenty of possible scenarios as to why you may need to end a commercial lease before its official end date. At the positive end of the spectrum, your business may have unexpectedly outgrown your workspace. At the opposite end, your business may be struggling financially and downsizing to smaller premises with reduced overheads seems the only option. However...