Opening a Retail Business in the UK: What you Need to Know | Page 6

Opening a Retail Business in the UK: What you Need to Know Your Legal Obligations When running a shop in the UK, there are a number of tenant obligations and business responsibilities that you will need to take care of. Two of these fall under your legal obligations: Paying business rates In addition to all the standard financial costs that you would incur if running a business from home, you will also be required to pay business rates on almost any non-domestic property, including shops, offices, pubs, factories and warehouses. Business rates are calculated by the local council. The bill is issued in either February or March each year, and covers the upcoming tax year. (If you’re curious as to how much business rates will be, then visit this comprehensive government guide on how to calculate them). On some occasions, it can be possible to pay business rates in 12 instalments. The best way to check is to get in touch with your city council to see if you’re eligible. There are also some business rates relief schemes operating in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland Some properties are exempt from business rates. These include farm buildings and farm land, fish farms, and places of religious worship (religious properties in Scotland must still apply for relief) and any buildings used for the training or welfare of disabled people. Legal opening hours All businesses have to legally restrict their opening hours to those permitted by the Government. However, the opening hours vary for small shops. In this case, a ‘small shop’ is defined as being one that measures up to and including 280 square metres. The said area includes all parts of the shop used to display goods and serve customers. (In other words, you can’t get around the regulations by closing off parts of the shop on certain days!) The rules for large shops (i.e. those over 280 square metres)are:  They can open on Sundays, but only for 6 consecutive hours between 10am and 6pm.  They must close on Easter Sunday and Christmas Day.  They must clearly display their restricted Sunday trading hours both inside and outside the shop. Commercial Property – Industrial Units, Office Space to Rent 6