'Do they know how many cups of coffee I need to sell to make up that amount?'

INDEPENDENT COFFEE SHOP BOSS HIT WITH 140% BUSINESS RATES HIKE

- By THOMAS COOPER

AN independent coffee shop owner is being hit in the pocket - after seeing his business rates more than double.

Joe Ingleton has run Fueled Speciality Coffee, on Carters Square in Uttoxeter, since 2021 and was paying £3,243.50 a year in business rates.

But the 2025/26 business rates bill has now shot up to £7,784.40.

The 30-year-old said: "It has left me in an extremely difficult position. I've now got to find the money. It's not easy running a business. I've already got bills, wages, rent and stock to pay for.

"Do they know how many cups of coffee I need to sell just to make up that amount? The short answer is that it's a lot.

"I'm fully staffed and I don't want any jobs to be lost. My team are amazing. And I don't want to lose my business either; lots of time and money has been invested to get this little start-up off the ground.