27 percent of consumers want small businesses excluded from Government’s cost cutting campaign

Nation Divided on Cost of Living Tsar’s Proposals

July 2022: Following news that the Government plans to launch a campaign to encourage businesses to cut prices^[i] to help with the cost-of-living crisis, 27% of consumers in a survey by Purbeck Personal Guarantee Insurance have said they think small businesses should be excluded from the campaign.

While 53% of those surveyed thought small businesses should be included in the initiative and take steps to cut their prices, the remainder, 20% were unsure. 

The findings suggest the ‘one size fits all’ campaign devised by the Cost of Living Tsar – David Buttress – may not receive wide support from small businesses owners who are already struggling with rising costs, the ongoing effects of the pandemic and staff shortages.  

Todd Davison, MD of Purbeck Personal Guarantee Insurance, the specialist personal guarantee insurance provider to small business owners and directors said: “The idea that businesses divert their marketing spend into supporting price cuts works as long as there is marketing budget there in the first place. Businesses need to innovate in tough times and that’s what small businesses excel at. Simply slashing prices as a small business owner creates unrealistic expectations and devalues the proposition.

“We have seen demand for finance increase from small businesses and await details of a new lending scheme to replace the Recovery Loan Scheme which closed at the end of June. In the absence of any further support from the Government, despite the hard campaigning of the FSB[ii], small businesses need to seriously consider whether they can or should cut prices for the ‘kudos’ of taking part in this campaign.” 

Ends

[i] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-61964175

[ii] https://www.fsb.org.uk/resources-page/act-now-to-stem-the-tide-small-firms-urge-as-producer-price-inflation-hits-record-high-22.html