By Andrew Goodacre

Last week, the government announced it would water down business rate rises for pubs after pressure from landlords and industry groups.

More than 1,000 pubs banned Labour MPs from their premises in protest, and ministers listened.

But what about the thousands of independent shops, chemists and post offices facing exactly the same pressures? We've had no such invitation to the table, no promise of relief, and no acknowledgement that we're struggling just as much as pubs are.

Independent retailers are suffering from significant increases in rateable values, low sales due to poor consumer confidence, and rising labour costs. Our business model is under real stress. Unlike pubs, we also deal with significant levels of retail crime, we have to compete with online retail giants and low-value imports that escape duty........

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