Firms getting ready to push higher prices on customers

Consumer prices rose an annual 2.2pc in July compared with 0.4pc a year ago

After years of low inflation, prices are rising. Photograph PA

Jon Ihle

Small businesses are planning to push price increases onto their customers as supply chain bottlenecks and higher input costs continue to put pressure on profitability amidst the recovery.

About one in two large SMEs is expecting to hike their prices this quarter, with retail businesses among the most likely to put through an increase, according to the Linked Finance SME Confidence Index.