Independent businesses continue to thrive in Lewisham

Two-thirds of

high street businesses in the borough are independent, according to research carried out by London South Bank University.

would continue to trade in Lewisham over the next two years.

• Over 120 new businesses have opened on local high streets since 2021, with businesses adapting to change by pivoting towards goods and services that can’t be replicated online or are enhanced by inperson customer service.

• 50% of Black entrepreneurs now view the Council as business-friendly, reflecting the pro-active steps taken by the Council to improve relationships with the borough’s Black business community through targeted support and the launch of the Black Business Forum.

This is the second instalment of the Council’s ongoing high streets study, following on from a previous survey carried out in 2021. Lewisham was the first local authority to launch this sort of study, in order to better support independent businesses, tackle systemic inequalities faced by ethnic minority business owners and ensure the offering on local high streets reflects the wider community.

Commenting on the results of the survey, Cllr Kim Powell, Cabinet Member for Businesses, Jobs and Skills, said: "I’m buoyed by these results. It's encouraging to know so many of the businesses on our high streets are feeling optimistic about the future and like they can really thrive here in Lewisham. When we launched this survey in 2021, it was about listening to our independent business owners so we could pinpoint the challenges they were facing and tailor the support they needed to overcome them – whether that was upskilling or building stronger professional networks. In this report, we’re seeing the fruition of the measures we took in response.”

You can find the full report on our website lewisham.gov.uk/highstreetstudy