Commercial landlords should ease the financial pressure on their tenants by allowing rents to be paid monthly in advance, according to one industry body.
In news which might be of interest to business insurance customers, Stephen Robertson, director-general of the British Retail Consortium (BRC), called for the traditional of shops paying three months in advance to be brought to and end.
He explained that having to pay a quarter's rent in one go puts financial strain on businesses.
"A number of retailers have gone into administration this year. Others are clearly struggling. Most are battling a range of rising costs in order to keep shop prices and overall inflation down," Mr Roberston said.
The fact one of the largest commercial landlords, Hermes, has already taken such steps proves there is no reason why others should not follow suit, he added.
In other news which could interest retail insurance customers, the BRC recently claimed that food price inflation has now peaked.
The body points out this means costs should rise less slowly than in the recent past.
