Government petition - Can you help and sign please

[Rosco]

Thank you everyone. Greatly appreciated!

 

[footsoldier]

Good luck with it Steve, but I would be happy to have your numbers....

We have a hotel that had a turnover of £250k last January, this year it was £3,500...
Another one abroad that has gone from £13m to £3m 2019 v 2020 (turnover)

Government furlough has helped save jobs, not businesses, but we were generally in good enough shape to just need some liquidity.

Had a go at grants etc but realised it was a distraction and better to focus on what we could influence.
(We were told we met grant criteria but it was 70% oversubscribed...)

As usual in crisis you just have to get in the trenches and refuse to die! Deals done with private sector who can understand the implications, and the solutions, and we have also done similar with tenants elsewhere.

Can see the other side of it now, and next step is to take advantage of opportunities. Some have done very well, some have suffered badly but that’s the game we play, imv, even if no one can be blamed for this one.
Personally, I wouldn’t be waiting for the government to help!

Sorry for going off piste...very happy if you get what you want

 

[Rosco]

Good luck with it Steve, but I would be happy to have your numbers....

We have a hotel that had a turnover of £250k last January, this year it was £3,500...
Another one abroad that has gone from £13m to £3m 2019 v 2020 (turnover)

Government furlough has helped save jobs, not businesses, but we were generally in good enough shape to just need some liquidity.

Had a go at grants etc but realised it was a distraction and better to focus on what we could influence.
(We were told we met grant criteria but it was 70% oversubscribed...)

As usual in crisis you just have to get in the trenches and refuse to die! Deals done with private sector who can understand the implications, and the solutions, and we have also done similar with tenants elsewhere.

Can see the other side of it now, and next step is to take advantage of opportunities. Some have done very well, some have suffered badly but that’s the game we play, imv, even if no one can be blamed for this one.
Personally, I wouldn’t be waiting for the government to help!

Sorry for going off piste...very happy if you get what you want

Sounds like you have had a much harder time with all of this Mark, sorry to hear this.

As said, we are strong enough to survive this but most in our sector, like yours are seriously struggling. It was liquidity that we have suffered with and now have a large CBILS loan to see that part through.

Good luck with it all.

 

[stradman]

Thanks guys, appreciated.

No problem Alex. It is not ourselves that are struggling financially as we are very fortunate and a cash rich business, but for sure, 2020 our turnover was down 40% and our profits are a fraction of what they were in previous years when they should have been higher still during 2020, but we are part of a purchasing group of 40 similar wholesalers and there are a few that are seriously struggling and on the brink of going under, hence putting the feelers out to ask for help.

The whole hospitality trade has had help from the government apart from the middle men ie the wholesalers. Without them, there is no hospitality, as where would they get their products from? Whilst the government have not closed the wholesalers down, instead what they have done is closed down more than 90% of our customers and the only ones we are left with during tier 3 or higher, is care homes and now a few households and the occasional pub that has opened as a takeaway.
The overheads needed to run wholesalers like us is massive. As an example, we have received zero help with our council rates (circa £100k per year), refrigeration plant which you cannot close down during lockdown due to the fresh and frozen food stored in there, another £120k per year, let alone all the insurances, delivery vehicles, forklifts etc that are sat there dormant.

There is a fundamental problem with selling food too with the short shelf life these products have.

When they have a lockdown, the trouble is that without any notice or any of us second guessing the lockdowns, any orders we have in the system for fresh produce/milk/cream, we cannot cancel the orders that are already en route to us and then when it arrives with us, we have between 3-10 days to get it shifted. Most of our customers have closed and so suddenly we have 90% more than we can physically sell to the existing customers. Food banks won't take it either as they want long life food and so it goes for animal feed etc.
Monday I have 400 frozen loaves of bread going to a farm. Cheaper than binning it! I am not exaggerating when I say that we have thrown more than £50,000 worth of food this last year, due to the lockdowns.
If we were builders merchants etc, then the stock can just sit there until we open again.

Never mind that many have profiteered out of this sad situation and I know several friends that have had their most profitable year last year, even more so as they were given grants they did not even need, but for the government to completely ignore this sector is unfair when there are many that truly do need help and their local MP's are just not doing anything for them.

I am sure there are other sectors that are in a similar situation.

Hope that helps explain/justify why we are asking for support, but that is the very basics of it.

Thanks for explaining Steve. I'm sorry to hear that. Very tough for many businesses and sectors(and you too Mark). There is no easy solution here sadly and politics will trump everything else in the end I'm afraid. Some sectors are sadly expendible as I guess there simply just isn't money to cover everyone. And I suspect with Brexit a few more businesses and sectors will or have already suffered as well.
Tough times all around. You all defo have my sympathies FWIW

 

[footsoldier]

I'll be honest, we're all much better off than most, the business issues don't bother me much, it's all recoverable.
I like the struggle - normal is what's dull...this will be very satisfying to get through in good shape.
The thing that does makes my head hurt is the damage done to life for kids, and the generally miserable existence we're all in, with pessimists to the fore.

I am very glad I've spent so much cash along the way on doing stupid things and maxing out most things where possible - if I'd spent longer working and reinvesting it all into more sensible investments, that could have been a real waste!

 

[S1ARM]

I second that Mark we are all better off than most

Rosco you’ll be fine just pay for your next car with frozen goods!

Petition done

 

[PeteGray]

Done

 

[Johnfm]

Good luck with it Steve, but I would be happy to have your numbers....

We have a hotel that had a turnover of £250k last January, this year it was £3,500...
Another one abroad that has gone from £13m to £3m 2019 v 2020 (turnover)

Government furlough has helped save jobs, not businesses, but we were generally in good enough shape to just need some liquidity.

Had a go at grants etc but realised it was a distraction and better to focus on what we could influence.
(We were told we met grant criteria but it was 70% oversubscribed...)

As usual in crisis you just have to get in the trenches and refuse to die! Deals done with private sector who can understand the implications, and the solutions, and we have also done similar with tenants elsewhere.

Can see the other side of it now, and next step is to take advantage of opportunities. Some have done very well, some have suffered badly but that’s the game we play, imv, even if no one can be blamed for this one.
Personally, I wouldn’t be waiting for the government to help!

Sorry for going off piste...very happy if you get what you want

My place went from circa $900m to $580m. It has been interesting trying to fill a $320m sized hole.


If it gets any worse I will have to auction off my collection of trainers...

 

[The Postman]

All good to read, it great that most of us can all survive through this, I think there’ll be a few good opportunities in buying up Pubs in the next year or two.

I’ve just shut the door on the the Shop and I’ll have a wee look at it when the clocks go forward.

Other things are more important currently....

John - what size feet are you?

 

[InsBro]

Signed

Need to do 1 for Insurance to - we didn't qualify for any of the rate rebates or anything just obviously Furlough but I didn't want service to drop off so didn't Furlough anyone.

 

[Rosco]

Thank you again all!

My place went from circa $900m to $580m. It has been interesting trying to fill a $320m sized hole.


If it gets any worse I will have to auction off my collection of trainers...

Well we are all still waiting to see them!

I second that Mark we are all better off than most

Rosco you’ll be fine just pay for your next car with frozen goods!

Petition done

Sadly, I think frozen food is worth less than Bitcoin right now

All good to read, it great that most of us can all survive through this, I think there’ll be a few good opportunities in buying up Pubs in the next year or two.

You are absolutely right. When the BBL's and CBIL's all need repaying, this is when the truth will show!

Signed

Need to do 1 for Insurance to - we didn't qualify for any of the rate rebates or anything just obviously Furlough but I didn't want service to drop off so didn't Furlough anyone.

Did you lose out due to lockdown? Like Alex, we all do not know the full extent of other peoples losses as it is not our trades. Being naive, I would have thought that with annual insurance policies, you would have been ok, but I'm sure there is much more to it than that, as there always is?

 

[InsBro]

Did you lose out due to lockdown? Like Alex, we all do not know the full extent of other peoples losses as it is not our trades. Being naive, I would have thought that with annual insurance policies, you would have been ok, but I'm sure there is much more to it than that, as there always is?

Yes we did mate all policies that are commission based some have halved due to reduced sums insured, vehicles etc but with more work involved for the guys to do. Vehicle accident claims have reduced so less work to do there but thefts have increased almost 10 fold

 

[Rosco]

You forgot to mention liability policies! They have gone up considerably too.

 

[SimonR]

Signed Steve.

I appreciate the problems for you. I am a one man band as you know, I was able to make some adjustments and stay working, which is good as I could not get anything worth a carrot from any of the relief schemes.

Hope the business comes back soon!

 

[Rosco]

Thanks Simon and I am glad you got yourself sorted, good on you!