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My local butcher is closing down this week. He says meat prices are so high, his customers can't afford to pay what he'd need to charge to stay in profit. Beef has risen in price 3 times recently. Even traditionally cheap cuts like ox tails are now ridiculously expensive. Once he ordered beef on a Monday and by the time they delivered it on Thursday and invoiced, it cost him £200 more than Monday's quoted price. Last week he sold £1200 worth of meat, and made £146. That's not enough for him to cover the shop's expenses, let alone pay himself a wage. He says one of the local 'mini-marts' which sells meat (including halal) told him they are in the same situation.
If he buys chicken wholesale, it costs him £2.18 a kilo. The supermarkets sell that same chicken for £2.16 a kilo, because they make profit elsewhere and take the hit on the meat.
He says the wholesalers are telling everyone the rise in National Insurance contributions and National Living Wage is what is pushing up their overheads.
I guess eating less meat will be good for me. But I also used to get fishcakes, macaroni bakes and hash browns from my butcher.
The butcher has a side-line in selling second-hand goods. So he'll expand that business after the butcher's shop is closed. I hope that works out for him.
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