Entrepreneurs and innovative small businesses are playing an increasingly important role in our local economies and communities - but they are disproportionately struggling to get access to the space they need to flourish and grow, a new report has found. While the demand for affordable retail and office space is increasing, so is the number of commercial spaces lying empty, with permanent vacancy rates across the UK at an average of 5.2 per cent, peaking in the North East at 8.4 per cent.
But Access to Space, a new report from small business support platform and membership organisation Enterprise Nation and entrepreneur think tank The Entrepreneurs’ Network, found small firms are being disadvantaged by a distorted market which both favours residential development over commercial and incentivises landlords to keep properties empty. The report suggests a handful of reforms that could dramatically improve SME access to space and argues that community entrepreneurs with a proven, sustainable track record and a strong business case, should be allowed to assume ownership of dilapidated buildings within their vicinity for the good of the local community. This could see decaying local landmark buildings transformed into vibrant independent markets, street food venues, coworking spaces and pop-up shops.
Emma Jones, CBE, founder of Enterprise Nation, said: “Access to the right kind of space is vital if entrepreneurs are to thrive in the current climate.
“While it may sound counterintuitive to extol the virtues of space at a time when one quarter of retail sales are taking place online, this report demonstrates the very real need for founders to have access to a physical space to grow their business. Whether that be a shop, a café or an office, physical spaces facilitate collaboration, networking and being part of a local community. Access to affordable and accessible work and trading space is critical for entrepreneurs of all stages.”
The report argues that despite successful attempts to improve access to space and revive economies with initiatives such as Business Improvement Districts; the Portas Review of 2011; the £675 million Future High Streets Fund; the £3.6 billion Towns Fund, and the Levelling Up Fund, which allocated £4.8 billion to local authorities in England for infrastructure projects that promote economic growth and regeneration, business rates remain the elephant in the room.
Philip Salter, founder of The Entrepreneurs Network said: “As ‘Generation Rent’ knows only too well, places with high demand have more expensive housing – while it’s not discussed as much, the same goes for commercial properties. But an understandable focus on solving the UK’s shortage of residential properties has created an unintended tax advantage to convert commercial property to residential, leaving entrepreneurs without access to affordable spaces in the right place.
“This report creates a strong argument to take a fresh approach to business rates, speed up publication of the details around High Street Compulsory Auctions (HSCA) and consider ideas like swapping the Empty Property Relief for a Commercial Vacancy Tax on landlords.”
Coworking spaces are often more flexible and affordable than traditional office spaces, and so are popular among freelancers, entrepreneurs, and small businesses. There is often an element of community built into the proposition.
While many coworking spaces struggled during the pandemic, demand grew by 22% in 2022, with regional growth particularly strong in northern cities like Leeds and Manchester. The report found that if local authorities had control over business rates exemption, strategic rate cuts could be enough to convince a private sector provider to expand. It could help drive the regeneration of a high street. In addition, there’s potential for central and local government, as well as its arms-length bodies to work with established coworking partners to set up places within their property portfolio.
Over recent years, markets have experienced a renaissance. Even through the pandemic the number of businesses in the food markets industry in the UK has grown 2% per year on average over the last five years. Pop-up shops have become increasingly popular in the UK, and many cities now have dedicated spaces and events for popup shops, such as Boxpark in London and the Trinity Leeds Shopping Centre. Many businesses see short term retail as a way to increase brand awareness and create an engaged community.
Pop-up shops are also a way large firms can be collaborative and supportive of smaller businesses – for example, in 2019 Amazon joined forces with Enterprise Nation to give 100 small online businesses the opportunity to trade in a physical retail setting and last month Adobe Express partnered with Enterprise Nation to support 20 small businesses pop-up on Oxford Street.
Commercial space also includes trade show attendance, and the report argues that if the Department for Business and Trade’s feasibility study for a UK Tradeshow Programme is favourable, it should be expanded.
Oli Powell, who is co-founder of Queer Gin with his husband Jon Gronow, has been running his business as a side-hustle since they launched it in 2021. Sales have been online and in-between work commitments, which has meant small production runs.
But the pair, who set up the company to raise awareness and money for the LGBTQ+ community, decided simply selling online didn’t create the cut through the brand needed.
They entered a competition – the Adobe Small Business Goes Big run in partnership with Enterprise Nation and won a two-day slot in a snazzy pop-up shop in London’s busiest shopping street.
Oli said: “For us the brilliant thing about being in a pop-up shop is the visibility it gives our brand. We never dreamed in a million years we could be in a shop, let alone in Oxford Street.
“We thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of getting ready to be in physical retail. Sourcing the furnishings, getting hold of enough stock from our distillery in Wales – as an online brand we’ve never had to think like this, and it could be that we factor pop-up shops and the high street into our plans in addition to online.
“It’s hard to get our story across online when you’re competing with so many brands, so being in a physical retail store was a fantastic opportunity to get our authentic brand in front of people.”
