The survey of SME caterers revealed that despite ongoing economic difficulties, the biggest boost to business prospects would come from reduced bureaucracy and simpler tax systems rather than improved access to finance or better interest rates, with SMEs calling on the government to urgently address these issues.
The results also show owners and managers want energy companies to make their day-to-day lives more straightforward. A third of small catering businesses want greater simplicity of energy tariffs, requiring providers to offer clearer information about bills and contract terms.
The significance of energy to small catering firms was highlighted in the research, with 46% citing its supply as the most important factor for business continuity, ahead of stock issues (42%), delivery issues (41%) and technology failure (36%).
The key to successful supplier/customer relationships is trust (27%), which ranks higher than cost (24%) and security (9%), and the majority of businesses are keen to develop two-way partnerships with their suppliers.
Source: E.ON UK
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