A PICTURESQUE seaside spot in Suffolk is championing independent brands and shops in an attempt to save small businesses.
Southwold, which has earned itself the nickname Chelsea-On-Sea, has rejected high street giants like Costa Coffee and Burger King from stripping individuality from the town.
AlamyThis commitment is more than aesthetic — it’s economic and cultural[/caption]
AlamyBy discouraging chain stores from its high street, Southwold has created space for independent shops, cafés, and artisans to thrive[/caption]
With the backing of local councils and strong community support, the town has resisted the encroachment of corporate franchises in favour of preserving it’s small-town character.
Waterstones was an exception to the rule and was given the green light to open, under one condition: it changed its name.
The store agreed to run its business under the name of the former establishment, Southwold Books’.
This commitment is more than aesthetic — it’s economic and cultural.
By discouraging chain stores from its high street, Southwold has created space for independent shops, cafés, and artisans to thrive.
These local enterprises often source goods regionally, invest profits back into the community, and contribute to a slower, more personal style of commerce that’s increasingly rare in modern retail environments.
Guy Mitchell, Chair of the Southwold & District Chamber of Trade, told East Anglian Daily Times: “We’re very proud that 84 percent of shops in Southwold are independent.
“It’s very important that local people and visitors … continue to support those traders.”
Pete Hart, who owns Chapmans Newsagents, also told the paper: “This town is loved for the way it is and if we are not careful our high street will look like any other and will lose its charm and appeal.”
Across the UK, independent and family-run businesses are facing an increasingly steep uphill battle.
One of the biggest issues is the soaring cost of doing business.
Many small shops are grappling with inflated rents, surging energy bills, and increased supplier costs.
Unlike larger retailers, they lack the scale to negotiate better deals or absorb financial shocks.
On top of that, business rates remain disproportionately high for small operators, often penalising them for occupying high street locations that are vital for visibility but increasingly unaffordable.
The shift in consumer behaviour also poses a significant threat.
Online shopping, which boomed during the pandemic, has become the norm for many customers who are drawn to the convenience of internet browsing.
James Scott, owner of Prandium Cafe told Suffolk Business: “Running an independent shop in Southwold is extremely hard.
“The rental of that property is £2,500 a month. Day visitors don’t always understand that overheads are too high and think that local shops are ripping them off.”
RETAIL PAIN IN 2025
The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury’s hike to employer NICs will cost the retail sector £2.3billion.
Research by the British Chambers of Commerce shows that more than half of companies plan to raise prices by early April.
A survey of more than 4,800 firms found that 55% expect prices to increase in the next three months, up from 39% in a similar poll conducted in the latter half of 2024.
Three-quarters of companies cited the cost of employing people as their primary financial pressure.
The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has also warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year.
It comes on the back of a tough 2024 when 13,000 shops closed their doors for good, already a 28% increase on the previous year.
Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the CRR said: “The results for 2024 show that although the outcomes for store closures overall were not as poor as in either 2020 or 2022, they are still disconcerting, with worse set to come in 2025.”
Professor Bamfield has also warned of a bleak outlook for 2025, predicting that as many as 202,000 jobs could be lost in the sector.
“By increasing both the costs of running stores and the costs on each consumer’s household it is highly likely that we will see retail job losses eclipse the height of the pandemic in 2020.”
GettyBy discouraging chain stores from its high street, Southwold has created space for independent shops, cafés, and artisans to thrive[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
