Report shows impact of cold weather on small businesses

A new report has shown just how much the recent cold weather impacted small businesses in Scotland.

According to Bank of Scotland Commercial, nearly 70 per cent of small businesses in Scotland were affected by the wintry conditions, suffering losses of more than £716 million.

In addition to this, 35 per cent of businesses saw their premises closed or cut off over the winter while 42 per cent were hit by disruptions to supplies and deliveries.

Colin Borland, from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), said the experience showed the importance of being prepared for the worst scenarios.

He commented: "The FSB always urges businesses to have a solid, up-to-date contingency plan in place to deal with exceptional circumstances – from extreme weather to a flu epidemic.

"By thinking about what must happen to keep their core activities running, they are in better shape to minimise any losses."

The FSB recently reported that, across the UK, one in seven members of staff could not make it into work due to heavy snow at least once during the winter.

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