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Christmas may not be as rosy as expected for SMEs

Nov 26 2010

Despite positive industry projections, only one in five businesses are expecting good Christmas sales

Only one in five small businesses are expecting good sales this Christmas, according to a survey.

Some 55 per cent of 500 business owners polled by insurer Aviva expect Christmas to be difficult, with one in ten predicting this holiday season could ‘make or break’ their company, and many undecided.

More than three in five respondents to the survey (61 per cent) expect conditions to ‘remain difficult’ in 2011 and almost a third (30 per cent) believe there is a ‘real risk’ of a double dip recession.

David Bruce, commercial product manager at Aviva, says: ‘Christmas is a crucial trading period, even more so with the VAT rise and government austerity measures hanging over consumer spending for the year ahead.

‘The UK’s small businesses are a resilient community but it looks as though the coming months will test them to the limit.’

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