Fri, 19 Sep 2025

Fri, 19 Sep 2025 Butcher calls for more support for small businesses

Rachel Edmonds, who started The Butcheress in 2017, says there has been a big rise in meat prices.

* Rachel Edmonds' butcher shop, The Butcheress, has closed due to rising costs and a decline in customer spending.
* Prices of meat have doubled in six months, with beef prices increasing by more than double.
* Average spend per customer has dropped from £28.30 to £5-6, while the number of customers has also decreased.
* People are opting for cheaper products like sausages, bacon, and chicken at supermarkets instead.
* Edmonds cited numerous factors contributing to industry struggles: supply shortages, abattoir operating costs, staffing, transport, packaging, and feed costs.
* She called on the government for more support for small businesses, stating that she pays out wages over half her weekly turnover and has £3,000 monthly electricity bills.
* A Treasury spokesman responded by saying the government is pro-business and working to create a fairer business rates system.
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