Back businesses that can get Britain working again – retail chief

A Solihull retail leader has called for action on business rates, employment costs and hospitality VAT ahead of today’s Budget.

Tony Elvin, (pictured) centre director at Touchwood Solihull, said Chancellor John Healey must use the Budget to back retail and hospitality businesses that can create jobs, support young people and keep Britains high streets thriving.

His request comes amid mounting concern over employment across both sectors, UKHospitality estimates around 100,000 hospitality jobs have been lost following the October 2024 Budget, while British Retail Consortium analysis of ONS data shows retail employment is 122,000 lower than two years ago and 410,000 lower than a decade ago.

Meanwhile, 715,000 16 to 24-year-olds were unemployed between June and August 2026, an unemployment rate of 15.6%, according to House of Commons Library analysis, with the West Midlands second highest nationally for young people not in education, employment or training.

Tony said: “These aren’t just numbers on a spreadsheet. They’re first jobs that aren’t being created, shifts that aren’t available and opportunities for people to get a foot on the employment ladder that are disappearing.

“Retail and hospitality have always been brilliant at giving people that first chance. You can walk into a shop, restaurant or café with relatively little experience and come out with customer service skills, confidence, training and, in many cases, a career.

“At a time when we’re worried about young people being out of work, we should be making it easier for these businesses to employ people, not harder.”

Tony is calling for the Budget to deliver in three key areas - meaningful reform of business rates, a reduction in the burden of employing people and action to address the 20 per cent VAT rate paid by most UK hospitality businesses.

Tony welcomed West Midlands mayor Richard Parker to Touchwood, introducing him to independent business owners and discussing the pressures facing businesses operating on the high street.

Tony added: “I welcomed Richard Parker to Touchwood and introduced him to some of our independent operators because I wanted him to hear directly what running a bricks-and-mortar business looks like today.

“Business rates reform has been promised. Now businesses need to see meaningful action.

“The same applies to employment costs. Businesses understand the importance of fair pay – of course they do. But you can’t continually increase the cost of employing someone and assume there won’t be consequences.

“At some point businesses recruit fewer people, reduce hours, increase prices or simply decide they can’t make the numbers work.

“That’s the contradiction we need to address. We want more young people in work and thriving high streets, but we’re making it increasingly expensive for the businesses most capable of delivering both.”

Hospitality is another area where Tony believes the Government has an opportunity to act, with UK operators paying the standard 20 per cent VAT rate on most sales while hospitality businesses in several European markets benefit from reduced rates.

He added: “Retail and hospitality don't need special treatment. They need an environment in which good businesses have the confidence to invest, recruit and grow.

“If we genuinely want to get Britain working, revitalise our town centres and support working people, then back the businesses that can help make it happen.

“Give them greater certainty and a fairer environment in which to operate and they’ll do far more than survive. They’ll create jobs, invest in their communities and bring people back into our high streets. That would be a Budget worth having.”

Touchwood is home to a mix of major national brands and independent operators across retail, hospitality and leisure and has a tenant occupancy rate exceeding 97 per cent.