Cost increases for shops and pubs are real and large. Pity the small operators

The national insurance contributions rise was a shock for the likes of M&S and Sainsbury’s. But smaller operators have every reason to grumble. Photograph: Terry Leebray/Alamy

Wednesday’s number of the day in the UK corporate scene was £60m. It is what Marks & Spencer expects to pay extra in employers’ national insurance next year, with the “same again”, said Stuart Machin, the chief executive, from wage increases that were already in train before last week’s budget. And £60m was also JD Wetherspoons’ estimate of its increases in taxes and business costs for 2025, including a jump of 67% in national insurance contributions.

If those figures seem chunky, even for large employers, wait until even bigger companies report. It would not be surprising if Sainsbury’s, with 148,000 employees, on Thursday says its employers’ national insurance bill will rise by £120m-ish next year – or by slightly more than 50% from last year’s level of £222m. Wage increases might add a further £80m.