The Telegraph: How and why the UK’s small businesses have thrived since the pandemic

The pandemic forced companies to use their ingenuity to pivot – and now, thanks to the right financial support, they’re thriving

Resilient, adaptable and optimistic – the UK’s small businesses have responded to economic upheaval with verve and tenacity, new research from Funding Circle shows, with the majority anticipating further growth this year. Successfully navigating Covid five years ago has given them the tools and ability to adapt to any challenge, especially with the spectre of tariffs looming.

Just ask award-winning chef and restaurateur Alexis Gauthier, who has emerged with a thriving brand five years after lockdown threatened his livelihood. As the UK battened down the hatches in 2020, his restaurant Gauthier Soho shut its doors, unable to pay its staff while they were on furlough.