I still remember the early days of COVID. Shops were shutting, supply chains collapsing, and no one knew what the next week would look like. Somehow, many of us made it through. Now, in 2025, small businesses across the UK are saying today feels worse.

Not because of a virus. But because the costs, the staffing shortages, the late payments, the endless pressure from bigger players, it’s crushing the people keeping our high streets alive.

A Crisis That Feels Familiar

COVID was sudden. This is slow, grinding, and in many ways harder.

• -Energy costs never truly came back down.
• -Inflation eats into every order.
• -Recruitment feels like a losing game.

A Federation of Small Businesses report this year showed almost half of small firms in the UK doubt they’ll survive the next 12 months without change. That’s not a headline. That’s lives, jobs, families, entire communities on the line.

The View from the Ground

I run an eCommerce start-up. I talk to shop owners every day. Florists who sell bouquets with more care than a supermarket ever could. Pharmacies trying to balance NHS contracts with staff shortages. Small fashion stores that fight tooth and nail for loyal customers.

What they tell me is simple:

• -They don’t need more “support schemes” buried in paperwork.
• -They don’t need another consultant.
• -They need time back, reliable partners, and fewer roadblocks just to serve their customers.

Why It Matters to All of Us

When small businesses fail, we don’t just lose shops. We lose the people who know our names, who deliver medicine to our parents, who keep our towns human. And when that goes, we get left with nothing but anonymous platforms and faceless corporations.

That’s not the future I want to build.

Building the Other Option

At Onelivery UK, we’ve always said our service isn’t about boxes and bikes. It’s about giving shops and pharmacies breathing space. When they don’t have to chase riders, worry about delayed deliveries, or burn hours on logistics, they can focus on what matters: care, craft, and customers.

We all lived through COVID. We all know how fragile things can get. Today, the alarm bells are ringing again. The question is whether we listen or wait until the shutters close for good.