Independents hit in continued rioting

Independent shops continue to suffer from violence and looting in the continuing outbreak of lawlessness on the streets of England.

Seen above is the view from the inside of the Tool Shop in London's posh Queensway (Bayswater) area, which was broken into on Sunday.

Proprietor Vin Vara reported that his insurer, Towergate, had "been brilliant", but that a local company contacted to board the windows of other shops in the small central London chain had quoted him £8,000. He described this as "Daylight robbery"

Other businesses suffering damage included Dead Star and Addiscombe DIY in the Croydon area, H Glickman in Tottenham and Gisella Boutique in Peckham. bira staff are contacting members in all known riot-affected areas to offer help, advice or just a shoulder to cry on.

The association said: “Shopkeepers need this like a hole in the head. Consumer spending is falling, confidence was already on the way down and the pressure was on both turnover and bank balances. Because of this the summer quarter day put particular pressure on retailers renting: some reported paying suppliers more slowly in order to pay the rent and they are arguing strongly for rents to be payable monthly. Our Q2 sales monitor showed that six in ten retailers suffered turnover declines of an average of 10%, with an overall fall of 2% year-on-year. Business confidence is at the lowest level since the onset of the recession in late 2008, with over 60% of retailers describing themselves as anxious about the future. In the midst of all this shopkeepers need to have the confidence in the government that the people who loot their shops will be dealt with so strongly that they do not simply shrug off any punishment and loot again.“

In a sad sign of the times bira put forward two useful numbers for members: Towergate Insurance 0844 892 1330 and All Emergency Services on 020 8643 1708 (24 Hours).