Scottish president writes to First Minister following election
SCOTTISH president of The Federation of Independent Retailers (the Fed) has written to First Minister John Swinney offering to work with the Scottish Government to ensure retailers’ voices are heard.
Following on from the Scottish Election, Uthayakumar Soundararajan, Scottish president of the Fed, has congratulated Swinney on the SNP’s election success and has offered to work alongside his government to ensure independent retailers across Scotland have a seat at the table.
The letter highlighted the continued uncertainty the Scotland’s independent retailers face including those caused by a potential price cap on supermarket products and the impact this could then have on the wider sector.
Additionally, Soundararajan laid out some key challenges and opportunities that lie on the road ahead for small shops during the four-year term. This was identified in the Fed’s manifesto for the election and focused on reducing theft across stores, limiting cost increases for small shops and ensuring a smooth introduction for the deposit return scheme.
The manifesto also confirmed the Fed’s continued support for the Retail Crime Taskforce in Scotland and has called for greater resourcing for local Trading Standards teams across Scotland to help tackle illicit trade.
In his letter, Soundararajan said: “This is a challenging time for the sector and our members due to retail crime and high taxation. Now the election is complete, we would like to take the opportunity to discuss with you or your government colleagues about how we support independent retail.”
