Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has had discussions with independent retailers on the development of the New Business Growth Service.

The Department for Business and Trade launched the Business Growth Service (BGS) in July alongside our Plan for Small Business. We will continue iterating the business.gov.uk online offer through continued engagement with SMEs from across all sectors and regions in the UK making BGS the front door to all government business support.

The Department engages routinely with retailers of all types, including independent retailers, through key trade associations. The service will regularly review user feedback to ensure it delivers what businesses need to support their growth and productivity. We continue to engage widely with stakeholders, especially entrepreneurs and small business owners, on the design and implementation of the service with a series of roundtables and consultation events across the country.