‘This is a perfect storm’: York’s historic shops on brink as costs bite

theguardian.com:

“The community has just broken up,” said Bryan Furey, former landlord of the Gillygate pub in York, who was forced to called in administrators in July after his energy bill almost tripled to £2,500 a month.

Sitting in the deserted garden of the pub, which until recently hosted theatre and quiz nights, a conker championship and customers on cycle tours, along with many regulars, Furey said the massive energy bill was the final straw in a pile of difficulties that had weighed on the pub.

A rent rise, higher staff costs and more competition for his eight hotel rooms from an explosion of Airbnb properties in the city centre all took their toll. “It’s a perfect storm that will force a lot of people to shut,” he said.

In the heart of York, running close to its famous minster, Petergate is home to an eclectic mix of high street businesses, including several pubs and restaurants, jewellers, independent clothing retailers, bookshops, a carpet store and beauty parlours. Now many are wondering how they will cope this winter.

Rising energy bills are just the latest blow on top of increased supplier and delivery charges, rising staff costs and shortages of key workers,partly caused by Brexit. Meanwhile, trade is expected to drop off when customers’ winter energy bills hit the doormat.

Tempt, a vegan chocolate shop, closed its doors last month, while a small jeweller has also just shut.

Emma Mellor’s Handmade Rugs store is struggling with high delivery charges and she is worried that her customers will rein in spending when their bills rise. At one of the bookshops, there are concerns about passing trade as its energy bill is largely limited to lighting costs.

Mark Snowden of Jax Barbers said he had just received a new energy bill that was