News Archive
Archive of latest news stories from UK-wide local campaigns
25 Mar 2010UK retail sales bounce back in February
Sales volumes in January fell by 2.1 per cent – the biggest one month drop since 1994 excluding one off blips – as snow kept shoppers at home, and VAT was raised back to 17.5 per cent. But in February much of this decline reversed as sales rose by 1.6 per cent.
Much of the turnaround came from household goods sales – in particular electrical goods and furniture and lighting – which were up 11.2 per cent last month, after falling 13.2 per cent in January. Sale in non-food stores overall rose by 3.4 per cent, but department store sales fell by 0.4 per cent and clothing sales slowed sharply to 1.1 per cent. However, sales in predominantly food stores fell for the second month in a row and by 1.2 per cent, after a 1.9 per cent drop in January. Retail sales volumes including petrol and diesel were stronger, rising by 2.1 per cent, after a 3 per cent drop in January. However, given the weakness of January, and not particularly strong growth in volumes in December, the last three months has only seen growth of 0.2 per cent in sales, and has seen a 1.4 per cent decline once fuel is included. » Read the full article
24 Mar 2010FSB response to Chancellor’s Budget 2010
The FSB was pleased with the announcement to take 345,000 small businesses in England out of the business rates system. Business rates are the third highest outlay for small businesses and this proposal will come as a huge relief to small businesses on the high street. This measure comes after a concerted FSB campaign to help businesses and local communities.
The FSB has been critical of the banks and their lending criteria and looks forward to the introduction of the new credit adjudicator giving small businesses the opportunity to appeal against a decision by the bank to reject a loan application. More competition for the high street clearers has been a long time coming. » Read the full story
21 Feb 2010Business failure numbers continue to fall
The report shows that overall there was a 9.2% decrease in businesses going under in the first month of the new decade, compared to the last month of the Noughties.
From a regional perspective Scotland had the best performance, with a 53.9% decline in failures, followed by London with a 19% drop in businesses going under in January compared to December and the West Midlands with a 17% drop. Three regions saw an increase in failures in January compared to December including the South West at 15.4%; the East Midlands at 12.3% and Wales at 4.5%. The Services industry was the strongest performing market sector with a 15.3% decline in failures in the first month of the year compared to December. The Manufacturing and Wholesale sectors both saw increases of 8.2% and 3.9% respectively. » Read the full story
14 Jan 2010SMEs welcome supermarket watchdog
The government has announced a new ombudsman to enforce its groceries supply code of practice, which will cover supplier issues such as late payment and retrospective pricing and consumer complaints.
Gill Grifffin, owner of school uniform shop Early Years, says: ‘This move is just what we need. Supermarkets unfairly squeeze suppliers and make it hard to compete by running loss leaders, which portray small retailers as expensive. Hopefully a watchdog will curb some of these practices.’ The Forum of Private Business says the decision is a welcome move. Phil Orford, chief executive of the FPB, adds: ‘Small suppliers and retailers continue to suffer as a result of supermarkets’ anti-competitive practices. One of the main problems is that many suppliers feel intimidated into silence and do not speak out; a situation we need to change.’ The body is calling for a guarantee of anonymity for suppliers wishing to complain about poor treatment. In a survey from the group, 74 per cent of respondents said they would want anonymity when giving evidence. According to the Competition Commission, between 1999 and 2006 the entry of supermarkets into town centres caused more independent grocers to close than new retailers to move in. However, the British Retail Consortium has expressed concerns that the decision will lead to an unnecessary and costly new bureaucracy. The watchdog will come into force on 4 February. » Read more
12 Jan 2010SMEs optimistic for year ahead
Some 67 per cent of SMEs expect business to improve in 2010 and of those 16 per cent say conditions have already got better.
Frank O'Callaghan, owner of gift shop Humbugs of Towcester, says: ‘I feel a lot calmer. There’s not going to be any more explosions or banks failing. Christmas was really great compared to last year. We were 22 per cent up.’ Aidan Ruff, co-founder of wedding businesses The Ellingham Partnership, says: ‘This year looks to be a really good one. We’re already almost full with bookings. But I’m not sure how much that’s to do with the economy and how much is due to having increased our budget for promotions. ‘I think we’ll start to see a recovery just as long as the government doesn’t put its boot on our back with any more taxes,’ adds Ruff. Of the 273 SMEs polled, 33 per cent say they are not expecting to see an improvement in business until next year. According to the British Retail Consortium, sales in December were up 4.2 per cent, the strongest year-on-year uplift since December 2005. » Read more
12 Jan 2010Retail sales strongest in four years
Overall, UK sales rose by 4.2 per cent compared to the same month last year, with internet and mail order sales climbing by 26.5 per cent.
Stephen Robertson, director general of the BRC, says: ‘These are stronger figures than we dared hope for. After a surprisingly muted November, this is the best total sales growth for a December since 2005 and goes well beyond just making up for the sales fall the sector suffered a year ago. ‘The figures were certainly helped by the comparison with last December's terrible results but customers clearly felt more confident about spending than they have for some time.’ According to internet body IMRG, online sellers saw an uplift of 29 per cent in Christmas Day sales compared to last year. » Read more
26 Nov 2009Heart of Gold are Moving!
The well loved card and gift shop Heart of Gold are moving from their current home (next to Blockbusters), to a larger home further up Newland Avenue to the shop which was formally ShoeZone. The grand opening is due to happen on Saturday 28th November, and to mark the beginning of the festive season the majority of decorations, cards, gifts and fancy dress will be Christmassy! As always Heart of Gold will be providing remarkable value and a good quality service. So pop in to their new home to see what goodies you can pick up!
10 Nov 2009Rediscover Newland Avenue
Love Local has published ‘A Student Guide to Newland Avenue’; a free magazine available at the university and in Love Local shops which aims to celebrate the individuality of the area and introduce people to the rich array of shops on the Avenue. With information about the discount scheme, easy-to-follow recipes and articles on fashion and nightlife it’s a great read regardless of whether or not you’re a student.
Since May, Hull’s Love Local campaign has strived to encourage people to embrace their area and shop locally. A huge carnival-like event and marketing campaign aimed to get people living near Newland Avenue to use its variety of independent stores. In addition to the traditional butchers, green grocers and bakers; Newland Avenue is home to several internationally-inspired food shops, specialist delicatessens and vegetarian stores. Boutiques, electrical stores, DIY shops, hairdressers, jewellers and newsagents exist side-by-side to create a truly diverse shopping community. There’s also a thriving café culture, and a growing night-time scene which has helped attract a younger generation of Newland Avenue goers. Love Local has published ‘A Student Guide to Newland Avenue’; a free magazine available at the university and in Love Local shops which aims to celebrate the individuality of the area and introduce people to the rich array of shops on the Avenue. With information about the discount scheme, easy-to-follow recipes and articles on fashion and nightlife it’s a great read regardless of whether or not you’re a student. Rosy Cawthorne, one of the Love Local team says: “The aim of the Student’s Guide was to introduce new students to Newland Avenue. There’re so many quirky independent shops here that you can’t find anywhere else. It’s also the quality of the service that makes shopping locally so worth while. But since we’ve published the guide we’ve had a lot of interest from non-students wishing to read the magazine. These are often people who have lived in the area for years, but are wishing to rediscover it for the vibrant place it is.” ‘A Student Guide to Newland Avenue’ can be found in Love Local stores down Newland Avenue, and is free and available to everyone. »
09 Nov 2009CBI says small business optimism has soared
The CBI said that while more SMEs had actually seen demand for their goods fall than rise over the past three months, trading was improvings and businesses were feeling increasingly optimistic.
Britain’s small and medium enterprises are now feeling more confident about their business prospects than at any time since April 2007, the Confederation of British Industry said today. The CBI said that while more SMEs had actually seen demand for their goods fall than rise over the past three months, trading was improvings and businesses were feeling increasingly optimistic. Of 424 firms surveyed, the business group said that 9 per cent more felt more optimistic about their general situation than felt optimistic, the best figure revealed by the quarterly survey for two-and-a-half years. » Read more
06 Aug 2009Calls for supermarket sweep welcomed
"Ombudsman needed to protect SME suppliers"
Small business groups have welcomed the Competition Commission’s recommendation to Lord Mandelson for a grocery ombudsman to regulate supply chain practices. The Commission said there was evidence that, if left unchecked, supermarkets would harm shoppers by squeezing suppliers so much that they would cut investment in new lines and products. » Read more
