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You and Yours: Pub closures, Supermarket prices, Dog grooming parlours

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15/02/2017

Pub closures, Supermarket prices, Dog grooming parlours

BBC Radio 4 - You and Yours, Pub closures, Supermarket prices, Dog grooming parlours

Pub closures; Grocery bills; Dog grooming parlours.

Landlords say high business rates are forcing some pubs to close. Grocery bills are rising, but more slowly than predicted. The dog grooming parlours appearing on high streets.

Exclusive research for You and Yours suggests that high business rates have contributed to the closure of one in five pubs in England and Wales in the last six years. The study shows that by the end of last December, more than 11,000 pubs had closed. Business rates are a big expense for pubs and are based on an assessment of the pub's likely turnover. Some landlords complain that the figures are out of date and don't reflect a fall in the number of people who drink in pubs.

Since the Brexit vote in June of last year experts have predicted a big rise in grocery prices as the low pound drives up the cost of imported food. But figures compiled for You & Yours suggest the increase has been really slow and prices are still lower than they were a year ago. We examine what's controlling the price of food in the UK and how our grocery bills will look in a few months from now.

In the space of a generation, we've gone from chucking our dogs outside for the day, to treating them like a valued member of the family. People never used to bath their dog, unless it had rolled in something horrible. But things have changed. As part of a broader trend on the high street away from shops that sell things, towards shops that provide services, there has been a big increase in the number of dog grooming parlours. Does your pooch scrub up well? What's the appeal of taking your dog in for a makeover? 

Producer: Jonathan Hallewell
Presenter: Melanie Abbott.

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