Councils will be handed new powers next month in an effort to breathe new life back into high streets and transform long-term empty shops, the government has announced.
High Street Rental Auctions (HSRAs) will allow local leaders to tackle persistently vacant properties in city, town and village centres by putting the leases up for auction, with businesses and community groups getting a ‘right to rent’ commercial lots.
The powers will come into force on 2 December through the legislation laid on Monday.
The government said the move will stop disengaged landlords from sitting on empty properties for more than 365 days in a 24-month period, before councils can step in and auction a one-to-five year lease.
The government has committed over £1 million in funding to support the auction process.
With one in seven high street shops currently closed, the government added that it is committed to revitalising town centres and bringing thriving high streets back for good. The announcement comes during Love Your High Street Week, organised by the British Independent Retailers Association to champion local businesses and innovation.
“This change further helps small businesses across the country, alongside new online support for exporters, a major consultation to tackle the scourge of late payments and an increase in the employment allowance for small businesses,” business secretary Jonathan Reynolds said.
“We promised to lift the shutters on our great British high streets and we’re delivering real action across the board, to boost jobs, opportunities and get the economy growing.”
The government will publish a new Small Business Strategy next year, setting out further measures to support SMEs and drive growth across the country.
Originally introduced by the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023, the High Street Rental Auctions powers will come into force on 2 December following the laying of secondary legislation on Monday. Before putting a property to a rental auction, a local authority must first seek to resolve the vacancy by engaging with the landlord.
Snappy Shopper is excited to announce a major expansion of its partnership with One Stop, with an additional 280 stores joining the platform.
Following the success of an initial 250-store launch in October, the expansion will bring One Stop’s total to 530 stores on the Snappy Shopper platform, enabling more communities across the UK to access convenient grocery delivery. In addition, One Stop is launching Snappy Rewards, an exclusive loyalty programme available at participating stores.
This new programme will allow customers to unlock perks based on tiered spending, including free products and discounts on future purchases with Snappy Shopper and One Stop.
Mike Callachan, CEO of Snappy Shopper, said: “We are passionate about supporting local communities and making convenience shopping as rewarding as possible.
"Expanding our partnership with One Stop and introducing Snappy Rewards is an incredible opportunity to connect with even more shoppers. Together, we’re creating added value for brands, customers, and One Stop by bringing accessible, convenient, and rewarding grocery options to communities across the UK."
The expanded partnership and Snappy Rewards programme are set to bring significant benefits to brands, shoppers, and One Stop alike by enhancing value, driving engagement, and increasing access to grocery delivery options.
“Providing an easy shopping experience for our customers is extremely important to us, so we’re thrilled to be able to extend our partnership with Snappy Shopper to more locations as well as taking part in the snappy rewards programme”.
“Both these measures will mean even more customers will be able to have great quality products, at great prices on their doorstep within minutes” commented Tim Josephs, Head of Online at One Stop.
This latest development underscores Snappy Shopper and One Stop’s commitment to providing quality convenience solutions, improving shopping experiences, and supporting communities with innovative approaches to grocery delivery
Technology company Jisp has invested in new barcode scanning software to optimise its loyalty program and boost its international expansion.
The goal of this investment? Making shopping easier for consumers and retailers alike, while also saving money.
Customers have already completed more than five million scans as part of the Scan & Save program, unlocking discounts and rewards. For these exclusive offers, the company partners with renowned brands like Budweiser, Cadbury and Asahi. Yet for Scan & Save to enhance the shopping experience, rather than disrupt it, scanning has to be seamless. This makes an intuitive and reliable barcode reader an absolute necessity for Jisp.
The company’s previous scanning solution was priced per device, hampering its ability to scale. To accommodate its high-volume usage, Jisp sought a vendor with a flat pricing model. Moreover, it needed a solution that quickly and accurately reads a variety of retail barcode types. This is exactly what Jisp found in Scanbot’s Barcode Scanner SDK.
By choosing a provider with flat-fee pricing, Jisp can now confidently scale its loyalty solutions without being hobbled by device charges. The upgraded barcode scanner also proved more accurate and reliable, which has led to substantial time savings and zero support requests coming in.
Roll-out was fast, too. Jisp successfully implemented and tested the Scanbot SDK within a month, thanks to the dedicated support team.
“As we move Jisp into the next stage of its evolution with a focus on sustainable, scalable growth through our five business units, the ability to expand user reach efficiently and cost-effectively was essential,” added Alex Rimmer, director of marketing and communications at Jisp.
“ScanBot has enabled us to take that next step on our journey through fantastic support and an outstanding product.”
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Businesses to get ‘right to rent’ long-term vacant shops as High Street Rental Auctions takes effect
Local councils across the UK have been handed new powers to tackle the scourge of empty shops as High Street Rental Auctions (HSRAs) took effect on Monday (2 December).
Local authorities will be able to auction off leases for commercial properties that have been empty for long periods, with the HSRAs creating a ‘right to rent’ for businesses and community groups, giving them access to city, town and village centre sites.
The changes will stop disengaged landlords sitting on empty lots for more than 365 days in a 24-month period, before councils can auction a one-to-five year lease.
The government has committed over £1m in funding to support the auction process, which is expected to create jobs for local people and boost trade by bringing local businesses back to the heart of the communities.
“Small businesses need our support and that’s why we are creating a ‘right to rent’ so that high street lots that have been left empty for far too long can be brought back to life,” local growth minister Alex Norris said.
“We want shops and shoppers back on the high street – and that’s what these changes will help to bring.”
Business secretary Jonathan Reynolds added: “Empty shop premises that gather dust aren’t doing any good to high streets, jobs and the economy. This is why we said we’d lift the shutters, and today we are delivering on that promise.
“Paired with the wider small business strategy to tackle late payments, getting more SMEs exporting, and boosting access to finance, we are unashamedly backing small firms, to get more people into well paid jobs and help grow our economy.”
The government has announced that four local authorities will lead the way as Early Adopters of the new high streets powers. Bassetlaw, Darlington and Mansfield councils will set an example for other local authorities across England, while Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council will join the Early Adopters programme in an advisory role as critical friends.
Additional local authorities have been invited to join the programme at a later stage.
Originally introduced by the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023, the High Street Rental Auctions powers came into force after legislation was laid in November. Before putting a property to a rental auction, a local authority must first seek to resolve the vacancy by engaging with the landlord.
The changes come ahead of Small Business Saturday this week, and the business secretary kicked off a week of activity ahead of the event by visiting several small businesses in and around Walthamstow High Street in North-East London.
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Mollie King performs at independent homeware and giftware boutique Lark
Broadcaster and DJ Mollie King surprised shoppers and staff at independent homeware and giftware boutique, Lark in Southfields with an impromptu DJ set to launch American Express presents Small Business Saturday Sessions.
The star, whose partner is a small business owner, is the headline act for Small Business Saturday Sessions, which will see performances in London, Manchester and Birmingham on Small Business Saturday (7 December), an initiative of which American Express is founder and principal supporter.
Launched in 2013, the day takes place on the first Saturday in December each year.
The Sessions, created to celebrate small businesses and the important role they play in the communities, will include another DJ set from Mollie at Lark Southfields, as well as performances from Amex Unsigned artists, singer Kianja who will be performing at Unagi Manchester and singer songwriter Riya Gadher at café Kilo Ziro in Birmingham.
To book a complimentary ticket to attend Mollie King’s set at Lark Southfields, guests should head to https://small-business-saturday-sessions.eventbrite.com to secure a spot. Attendees to the Manchester and Birmingham performances can do so by booking a table directly with the host venue.
Mollie King at Lark
Small Business Saturday Sessions forms part of American Express Shop Small, a long-running campaign which aims to support small businesses by encouraging the nation to champion their local high street and enjoy the benefits of ‘shopping small’, whatever their budget.
“I know firsthand how much hard work and care goes into running a small business, so I am proud to be a part of the American Express presents Small Business Saturday Sessions this year,” Mollie King, Amex Shop Small Ambassador said.
“Local independent shops are often places that bring communities together and I can’t wait to perform again at Lark.”
Dan Edelman, VP & UK general manager, Merchant Services at American Express, said: “As founder and principal supporter of Small Business Saturday, we are delighted to add American Express presents Small Business Saturday Sessions to offer a new way to celebrate this important moment in the year. Small businesses are the heartbeat of our communities and we hope these events, as part of our ongoing Shop Small campaign, shine a spotlight on independent businesses and inspire people to get out and show their support.”
With the Scottish budget looming, leaders across retail, hospitality and tourism are calling for targeted measures to alleviate financial pressures and support the sectors' recovery amid rising costs and regulatory demands.
Stuart McCallum, head of consumer markets in Scotland at RSM UK, highlighted the strain on businesses due to increasing costs from regulations, employers’ National Insurance hikes, and the persistent burden of business rates. He warned that without intervention, these challenges could force businesses to pass costs onto consumers or face unsustainable employment costs.
“A permanent lowering of the [business] rate would not only ease the burden on retailers and hospitality operators, but offer a competitive advantage against counterparts across the rest of the UK,” McCallum said.
He also urged the Scottish government to reconsider income tax policy, warning that higher tax rates could drive talent away and reduce consumer spending.
“They could even go a step further and increase income tax thresholds in line with inflation, particularly to relieve financial pressures on lower and middle income earners. With increased consumer confidence comes an increase in spending, which the industry would hugely welcome,” McCallum added.
David Lonsdale, director of the Scottish Retail Consortium, said the budget should be “unambiguously pro-business” to ease burden on the retail sector which is in a precarious state.
“Economic growth is weak, retail sales are flatlining, and shopper footfall has fallen. This reinforces the need for an unambiguously pro-business Scottish Budget which injects much needed confidence into the economy, prioritises competitive taxes, and which avoids piling extra costs onto retailers who are still reeling from the chancellor’s increase to employers’ National Insurance contributions,” Lonsdale said.
Marc Crothall, chief executive of the Scottish Tourism Alliance, echoed the need for urgent financial relief.
“Tourism and hospitality businesses are telling us loud and clear they need to see measures that will immediately ease the financial burden on them and that will directly support the sector to grow and be more competitive,” Crothall added.
“The tourism and hospitality sector has felt overlooked in recent years as a key economic driver. We must see a budget that protects, restores and invests to have long-term success.”
The Scottish budget for 2025 to 2026 will be presented on 4 December.