Rising energy prices and the state of the economy are the biggest worries facing British retailers in 2010, according to research released by the Carbon Trust to launch its new Best Advice campaign.
56% of retailers surveyed said they are worried about the unstable economy and almost half (49%) said they are worried about energy price hikes. Far fewer retailers are worried about a possible change in government (11.1%) or complying with environmental legislation (8.3%).
Over a third (38%) of retailers surveyed said that one of their top three New Year’s resolutions is to reduce the amount of energy their business uses. Despite this, a quarter (25%) admitted that no one within their organisation was responsible for managing their energy consumption and controlling costs.
The Best Advice campaign was launched by Ian Cheshire, Group CEO of Kingfisher – the parent company of B&Q. He urged manufacturers to take a free carbon survey from the Carbon Trust, which he called “the best free advice any business will get this year”.
He said: “It is simply good business sense to be smarter about the way we use energy. It cuts costs, makes us more efficient and improves our reputation with customers.
“I would encourage any business that has yet to embark on the energy efficiency journey to pick up the phone and book in a Carbon Trust survey. It is likely to be the best piece of free advice a business will get this year.”
