Birmingham photo shop owner considers moving to cut costs

Surpreet Suri is evaluating a move for his Birmingham photography studio to lower overheads. The family business, established four decades ago, has shrunk from four locations to a single shop on Kings Heath High Street. Suri says the current site offers better visibility but carries higher running costs. He told Al Jazeera the team is seriously considering leaving the space to reduce expenses.

Suri notes that financial rewards are harder to secure despite a loyal customer base. He describes the workload as intense, stating, 'We’re sort of working our fingers to the bone, and that’s the side that people don’t see.' His income falls below the national minimum wage of 12.21 pounds per hour. He lives month to month, a phrase he says he means literally.

The studio faces multiple cost pressures beyond business rates. These include rent, value added tax, wages, pensions, and rising energy bills. Specialist materials are also expensive. Suri estimates that refilling one professional printer with ink costs approximately 2,000 pounds, or 2,664 dollars. These figures highlight the strain on independent retailers as they prepare for the government budget on Wednesday.

Online competition adds to the difficulty. Digital sales now account for 28 percent of UK retail. Customers often expect high street prices to match online rates, even for personalized services. Suri explains, 'People come to me wanting the quality that we provide, but they want me to match online pricing, which I simply can’t do.' He acknowledges that household living costs also limit what customers can spend.

The trend extends across Britain. Nearly 14 percent of high street retail units are vacant. Boarded-up storefronts are increasingly common. Pawnbrokers, betting shops, vape outlets, and charity stores have taken over spaces that small business owners can no longer afford. Shoppers in Birmingham report fewer reasons to visit. One customer said, 'It’s just the same up here all the time now.' Another prefers online shopping for its convenience, noting a lack of inspiration on the street.

Andrew Goodacre, chief executive of the British Independent Retailers Association, testified before a parliamentary inquiry earlier this month. He argued that recent business rate reforms have failed to help smaller retailers. Some independent shops face higher bills, while large supermarkets pay substantially less. Goodacre also warned about unfair competition from operators who evade taxes. He cited central London souvenir shops that use successive limited companies to lower their rent costs.

The inquiry emphasized that enforcement is as important as tax reform. A cut in business rates alone may not stop the decline of high streets. Suri agrees, calling a rate reduction a small step in the right direction. He urges the Chancellor of the Exchequer to run a high street business for a month or two to understand the pressures. Suri says, 'If [the government] makes it easier to actually run an independent business successfully, that’s the first domino in a positive effect that could really help our country.' The family business must decide if it can afford another year in its current location.