Three Business supports cafes as Brits work from high street this winter

Three Business supports cafes as Brits work from high street this winter

Press release 30th November 2022 Enterprise

British office workers are looking to work from the high street to save on commuting and heating their homes.

Research of over 2,000 office workers by Three Business revealed seven in ten (70%) are concerned about the impact of working from home on their energy bills and two thirds (66%) about the cost of commuting.

Nearly all (92%) are looking at ways to reduce energy costs when working remotely this winter, as the majority (76%) worry about paying their bills in the coming months.

To help, Three Business has teamed up with three independent cafes in Birmingham providing a package to turn them into local flexible working hubs. As part of a pilot starting today, the company is providing three locations with a connectivity grant, giving them two years of free Superfast 5G Business Broadband, alongside a hot drink tab for local office workers and marketing support to attract more customers.

The campaign comes as two thirds (66%) of office workers want to give more support to businesses in their area through the cost-of-living crisis with majority (70%) worrying about their local favourites surviving the downturn.

Proving their loyalty, seven in ten (71%) said they would work from their local café if they knew it was helping it survive the cost-of-living crisis. Office workers also said given the option they wanted to work from an independent café (46%), preferring it over a co-working space (36%), a coffee chain (33%), a hotel lobby (12%) or a pub (10%).

However, nearly half (49%) of people say poor or unreliable internet connection is currently stopping them from working in their local café with three quarters (74%) saying they would try it, if they knew they could trust the Wi-Fi.

Snehal Bhudia, Director, Three Business said:"Everyone is concerned about the current inflationary pressures, whether that's local businesses being worried about demand for their services and costs of running their business, or workers who face higher home energy bills and more expensive commutes. Working from the high street is a win-win for everyone - bringing much-needed footfall to local businesses while giving workers a little respite. We're doing our bit to support by raising awareness and providing strong connectivity to make it happen."

Fero Moshfeq, the owner of Lavatte, a café in central Birmingham said: "We have regular customers who choose to work from the café every day and their number has been on the rise as people want a change of scenery and ways to cut down spending over winter. Support from Three Business creates an incentive for people who haven't considered working from a café before and we look forward to welcoming them to Lavatte."

It's not just financial reasons that draw people to working from the high street. Those surveyed admitted that there are tasks that they enjoy more or perform better when working from a café:

• 59% said so about catching up on emails
• 35% completing online learning & development sessions
• 29% planning projects
• 23% thinking about career development
• 22% completing in-depth tasks that require focus