“The only thing keeping me going is the fact I have staff with bills to pay,” Lauren Hutchinson says. “I’m desperately trying to hold on for them.” It’s an impossible situation many small business owners face at the moment.
Lauren is currently working 50-hour weeks to keep her Afflecks shops afloat – but doesn’t know how much longer she can go on.
The 37-year-old, from Bury, owns two businesses in the iconic Manchester indoor market – zero waste shop Earth Friendly Rocker and sustainable witch-themed café Potions. Despite juggling two shops, Lauren has been forced to take up a second full-time job as the cost of living crisis continues to bite businesses and consumers across the country.
