THERE will be more “casualties” on the high street as a third national lockdown comes into force, says the boss of a traders organisation.
Gavin Stewart, 47, who runs the business improvement district known as Brilliant Brighton, said it is “likely” that businesses will go under during the national shutdown.
The warning comes just hours after the Chancellor announced businesses in retail, hospitality and leisure would receive new grants, worth up to £9,000 per property, to help them keep afloat.
Mr Stewart welcomed the support from Rishi Sunak but said a lot of business in Brighton “live or die” depending on the success of their summer.
He said: “We are likely to see a lot more casualties in the city and in the high street, which is not good news for anybody because it is peoples lives which are currently under scrutiny.
“But we have to warmly welcome the money that Rishi Sunak has announced which is more support than what he was announcing back in September.
“Looking at the roadmap that has been laid out by the government, the hope is that by April or May, we should be back to able to welcome those visitors back to the city in the Summer.
“A lot of businesses live or die on whether or not they have had a good summer season. “
Brilliant Brighton was launched in 2006 and at that time involved some 300 traders all located in the heart of the city.
Today it is a collection of 517 shops, bars, restaurants and cafes.
The support outlined by the Chancellor is in addition to the business rates relief and the furlough scheme which has been extended until the end of April.
Mr Sunak also revealed that £594 million will be made available to affected firms outside the qualifying sectors.
The money, which will be made available by local authorities, is worth £4.6 billion across the UK. All non-essential shops, including hospitality and retail venues, will be forced to remain closed until a review on February 15.
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