There are more than 310,000 retail businesses in the UK, which is 5.7% of all businesses, with SMEs accounting for more than 99% of them. Many UK retail businesses, especially those in the high street, have had a very tough time in recent years, having battled Covid and a record inflation-fuelled cost-of-living crisis that’s left consumers much more careful when it comes to spending their cash. So, should you start a small retail business and if so where do the best opportunities lie? Should you take on premises or stay strictly online? How do you set yourself apart and create a winning brand?
Answering these and many other key questions is Catherine Erdly, a small-business independent retail expert with more than 21 years’ experience, 17 of them spent working for high street names. She now works exclusively with start-ups, independent brands and retailers, helping them to grow their profits.
Show notes
Start a retail business
Cash flow
Selling online
- How we started selling online [podcast episode]
- How to take your small business online
- How to set up a successful ecommerce business [podcast episode]
Creating a brand
Suppliers
- How to buy and sell wholesale [Podcast episode]
- Essential guide to selecting and negotiating with suppliers
- Essential guide to sourcing green suppliers and equipment
Negotiating contracts
- Q&A: Supplier contracts
- Essential guide to understanding key contracts and trading laws
- Getting paid – trading terms
Getting paid
Premises
Licensing rules for specific businesses
- Retail-based legal issues
- Record shop legal issues
- Music shop legal issues
- Café legal issues
- Public house legal issues
- Mobile DJ legal issues
- Nightclub legal issues
Business Improvement Districts
- Find information and guidance on Business Improvement Districts on GOV.UK.
About our retail expert
Catherine Erdly is a retail expert with more than 21 years’ experience, 17 of them spent working for high street names. She now works exclusively with start-ups, independent brands and retailers, helping them to grow their profits.
You can find Catherine on LinkedIn.
Find out more about the Resilient Retail Club.
About Square
Square is tailor-made for all retailers whether you’re a small business or a multi-location retailer.
Square’s retail POS system includes all the tools your retail business needs including payments, inventory management and ecommerce – and that’s just for starters. Used by over four million businesses, easy to use and with no hidden costs, Square will help your business fly.
Find out more about Square’s retail POS systems at square.com.
What next?
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