Press Release

FSB Chairman wants to Keep Trade Local

13 March 2008

Tomorrow sees the beginning of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) Annual Conference at the Hammersmith Novotel.  The Conference will be opened by National Chairman, John Wright when he will tell Conference delegates that yesterday’s 4p raise on beer will hit community pubs.

The speech will follow the launch of a campaign to Keep Trade Local, which will descend on Parliament as a mass lobby at 12 o’clock today.

The FSB is keen to reverse the trend of 2000 small shops going out of business each year and is working to put pressure on the Government to rectify the Competition Commission’s failure to deal with unfair competition from the big supermarkets.

John Wright, FSB National Chairman, will say:

“The extra 4p on a pint of beer won’t stop people binge drinking, but it might stop people going to the local pubs that support so many of our communities up and down the country. 

“That’s why it is so important that we get our message across to as many people as possible that we need to keep trade local – we need to do more to support local economies and help them thrive, which in turns creates nicer places to live and work.”