Skip to content

Rising costs leave Albrighton independent shops in limbo

BBC The closed Village ButcherBBC
The Village Butcher, in Albrighton, was forced to close as its bills more than doubled

Independent shops in a Shropshire village say they are "in limbo" as energy bills spiral.

The Village Butcher, in Albrighton, is the high street's first casualty - it closed after its electricity bills more than doubled from £15,000 to £35,000.

Businesses are not covered by an energy price cap, now £3,549 for households, and many face cost pressures.

In Albrighton, business owners told the BBC they were concerned about raising their prices and losing customers.

Helen Pickering, from Nieve Ella's hair salon
Helen Pickering worries she will lose clients if she puts up prices

"If I put my bills up, am I going to lose clients?," asked Helen Pickering from Nieve Ella's hair salon at the top of High Street.

"A lot of my customers are the older generation and it's horrible that they can't afford to have their hair done," she said.

"If I can keep my prices the same, and keep my clients coming in, at least then I will have money coming in to pay my bills."

Next door to Village Butcher is Number Seven Boutique. Amanda Potter, who runs it, is worried about the winter months.

Amanda Potter, from Number Seven Boutique
Amanda Potter is looking at options to reduce her shop's energy use

"A lot of people went on holiday this summer and they wanted to buy new clothing. That might not be the case next year," she said.

Unlike her neighbour the butcher, which needed to power freezers around the clock, the boutique is looking at options to reduce its energy use.

"We normally have lights on in the window and they never go off, but I'm now looking to buy a timer so the lights can be switched off early," Ms Potter said.

Phil Taylor and Angela Mills at the Latte Da Coffee Shop
Phil Taylor and Angela Mills want to give customers good value for money

At the bottom of High Street is the Latte Da coffee shop. It is owned by Phil Taylor, who opened the café nine years ago. He is optimistic about surviving the tough times ahead.

"We managed to get through the pandemic and now we face the energy crisis," he said.

"We're all in limbo, unsure how much our bills will rise. We get a lot of support from local customers and we're trying to give them good value for money."

Current Chancellor Nadim Zahawi said the government was working on proposals for the new prime minister to consider which would include support for businesses.

Presentational grey line

Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: [email protected]