For many business owners, their energy bills have skyrocketed in recent months. By an average of 45 percent, according to a report by ABN Amro. “A big increase,” says researcher Jeannine van Reeken-van Wee of ABN Amro. “But if you look at what’s happened on the gas market, even that 45 percent can be put into perspective.”
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“We focused on smaller entrepreneurs,” says Van Reeken-van Wee. “My suspicion is that most of these entrepreneurs will go below the maximum price. But there are also many companies where this increase has not yet increased so sharply. So we’re dealing with a different picture among those small business owners. Not all entrepreneurs are the same right now.’
According to the researcher, many SMEs will pass on the cost increase to the customers. ‘Then we have again the example of the frequently used bread at the bakery. It could very well go up.
Dieci Wolde butcher shop
One entrepreneur suffering from sky-high energy costs is butcher Arend Ten Wolde of Amsterdam’s Slagerij Ten Wolde. ‘I went from 800 euros to 3500 euros a month. I was dressed in sackcloth and ashes. Does this continue? Then I took action: the counter and cold room were removed, two forty-year-old freezers were replaced and our broth is now tapped at night,’ Ten Wolde told reporter Jigal Krant. ‘Now I see a difference. I went from 3,500 to 2,000 and even to 1,500. It’s gone down, but until the war is over, I’m still worried about energy.’
Source: BNR
Andrew Dwight is an author and economy journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. He has a deep understanding of financial markets and a passion for analyzing economic trends and news. With a talent for breaking down complex economic concepts into easily understandable terms, Andrew has become a respected voice in the field of economics journalism.
