Costcutter Supermarket Group has offered its independent store owners access to its new Business Services programme in a bid to help them cut costs.

The services include human resources, banking, e-learning, telecommunications, insurance, utilities and financing that are available at discounted group-negotiated rates.

Costcutter director Sean Russell said small business owners were facing “unprecedented” challenges from legislation adding further time and cost pressures such as enrolment pension schemes, the National Living Wage and digital tax accounts.

“For retailers, these operational demands add to the constant challenge to drive footfall and increase sales in a highly competitive market,” he said.

“That’s why, in addition to our extensive sales, marketing and communications support for retailers, we’ve used our group scale to give our retailers access to preferential rates for essential business services from industry leading service providers that aren’t otherwise available to small independent businesses.”

The discounted services were accessible through the group’s online informational portal ActivHUB, Russell added.