Friendliest high-street businesses include hairdressers and coffee shops, reports new study
Posted on in Business News
More than half of Britons (55%) say they have received helpful life advice from a local small business owner, new research reports.
As reported by the Daily Mirror, more than a third (35%) of consumers who frequent their local high street said they would count at least one independent business owner as a friend, with hairdressers coming top of the list. Coffee shops, newsagents, butchers, and the local pub, are also considered some of the friendliest small businesses on the high street.
The survey of 2,000 adults also found that half feel they can speak about personal matters with high-street business owners, with a fifth (21%) even saying they are trusting these shop owners more than their partner.
But conversations with high-street businesses have changed a lot over the past year, with 36% talking more about energy prices than before the recent crisis and 22% having these discussions with local firms at least once a week.
Rising costs (40%) and soaring energy prices (40%) come up in conversation more frequently than holiday plans (37%), nights out (9%), and relationship woes (7%).
A further 30% said they had never discussed energy with local business owners before the cost-of-living crisis but now it’s the topic they discuss the most.
Victoria Bacon, director of Smart Energy GB, which commissioned the research, said: “We know how important local businesses are to communities up and down the country, and that the energy crisis is affecting them, as well as households.
“Even small things can save a company money in the long run – whether it’s turning off appliances at the wall when they’re not in use, or getting a smart meter installed for your business.”