• Workers aged 21 and over £6.08
• Workers aged 18-20 £4.98
• Workers aged 16 and 17 £3.68
• Apprentices* £2.60
*Apprentices should be aged 16-19 or over 19 but in the first year of their apprenticeship.
The NMW applies not only to employees, but also to...
Each year the British Retail Consortium (BRC) carries out a Retail Crime Survey to collect and analyse the impact of criminal offences against retailers. The BRC has worked extensively over the past few years to highlight that retail crime is not victimless and that these offences not only impact on the businesses concerned but also retail staff and the...
Sales, overheads, people costs, buying prices are all under pressure, right across the retail landscape. bira is asking its members to take five minutes to tell the world how trade is on the High Street, right now, for independents, by taking part once again in its quarterly sales monitor survey.
The previous quarter's results revealed that in the balance of winners and...
The Mary Portas review of the great British High Street has sparked much media interest. bira has been involved with many of the reports and investigations so far, making a clear case for the High Street and all the good it brings to a community, as well as pushing the major concerns facing independents to the fore.
This week the ITV1 Tonight team take an in depth look at the situation....
Minimum wage freeze needed in 2012 says bira
Compelling new evidence from retailer data makes it clear that the Low Pay Commission should be looking to a freeze in the National Minimum Wage (NMW) for the 2012 round.
Giving evidence in the current round of consultations, CEO Alan Hawkins used the results of the bira wages survey carried out in July...
The British Independent Retailers Association (bira) began the third quarter of 2011 with the appointment of Marketing Director, Sarah Golden.
Sarah joins the current executive board as the sixth director in the newly created Marketing Director position from 1st September. Sarah will be responsible for bira’s marketing strategies across the whole group. She will be tasked with...
A new face and a new role combine in Anthony (Tony) McCarrick, who has joined bira in the newly created role of National Membership Sales Manager.
Seen here with bira CEO Alan Hawkins Tony brings to the role a strong background in sales and sales management. He was most recently General Sales Manager at Louie Clothing in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear having joined the Company in 2006...
The unrivaled bira training offer has a new head, Keith Christian, who has been appointed Director of Training.
Alan Hawkins, CEO, commented: "Keith will direct and coordinate the work of Retail Training Manager Jeannie Willis and Technical Training Manager Adam Wyatt. Reflecting the immense range of interests of independents, from fashion to farming Keith's role covers an amazing...
For contents, fixtures and fittings and stock, you must ensure that you declare the maximum value which will be at risk during the policy...
Life on the high street is hard and getting harder, but headlines declaring the high street dead are worse than just wrong, they are dangerous, says bira.
Suzanne Moore in the Guardian peppered her usual spicy article with important factual errors. "Many of our high streets have a third of their shops boarded up": wrong: half a dozen out of 1000 town centres have a third of their shops...
On Monday 5 September 2011 the annual CHA awards were held, there were many wonderful and amazing products at the show but after great deliberation the judges finally decided on these winners:
Category Company Product Best Packaging Eddingtons Vigar brush Most Innovative Product Keep Cup Keep Cup Best New Product Mastrad Top Chips Maker Best Product at...We know that members have struggled in the past with conflicting advice from different Trading Standards departments on age-restricted sales legislation. Some local authorities advise that it’s ok to sell a certain product to under 18s (scissors have been a case in point) and others have been giving opposing advice. bira members will be pleased to know there is a solution.
Primary...
The ring of the bell that puts a smile on the face of the retailer as a customer comes to buy can ring hollow when it heralds instead yet another visit from an inspector.
bira has fought the increasing burden of inspections from multiple departments enforcing a bewildering array of regualtions and the even greater burden from multiple "test purchase" operations that have seen retailers...
With the weakness in the UK car market over the last few months, it has become a buyers’ market. Dealers and finance providers are cutting their rates aggressively to boost sales.
In reaction, bira finance will continue to offer the best rates possible to members through a significant cut in vehicle loan rates by up to as much as 0.90% APR. This cut will see bira finance...
BIS is holding three listening events on the Transforming regulatory enforcement consultation and Red tape challenge. The events are:
Going forward it is essential that we provide further concrete support to the police and assistance in securing prosecutions against those involved with the criminality.
The BRC has launched the snapshot survey to collate statistical information from...
Members of bira have started to donate money to create and deploy a fund to provide fast assistance to members in areas affected by riot and looting over the last week.
Damage has ranged from complete looting to damage to property, particularly shop windows. Distress has been prevalent, but independents are hardy types, not easily discouraged. Even so, other members are...
Independent shops continue to suffer from violence and looting in the continuing outbreak of lawlessness on the streets of England.
Seen above is the view from the inside of the Tool Shop in London's posh Queensway (Bayswater) area, which was broken into on Sunday.
Proprietor Vin Vara reported that his insurer, Towergate, had "been brilliant", but that a local company...
Have you sustained loss and/or damage as a result of the riots?
Insurers tell us that in most cases this would be covered under a commerical or personal insurance policy under the insured peril of Riot and Civil Commotion. However the key issue is to ensure that there is a very prompt notification of the claim to the police. The Riot and Damages Act requires notification to the Police...
The Retail Trust is ready and able to help staff and independent retailers affected by public disorder and looting on its helpline - 0808 801 0808.
Looting and violence continued to escalate last night, with incidents spreading beyond London. The copycat element may, we hope not, cause the violence to spread. In which case the advice below should be of use to all. Either way it is obvious that the personal safety of all comes first.
The Metropolitan Police have an advisory page on "Disorder"...
"Life is more important than shop windows or a bit of stock" said Corinne Lewis, demonstrating a remarkably phlegmatic attitude after Glickman's, the independent tool and hardware fixture of Tottenham's High Road was ransacked and trashed in the riots on Saturday.
The business that she and husband Derek run, and which has been in operation since the 1930s, is now boarded outside...
Have your say in the Today programme's high street questionnaire. The key radio show is investigating the fate of the UK's hight streets and is asking for the help of listeners in building a picture of the nation's shopping issues.
There is a questionnaire online, and you can record your memories of high street shopping on Audioboo or YouTube (tagging them with #r4todayhighstreet and...
Nearly six in ten independent retailers suffered a fall in business in the second quarter of 2011.
Fresh research from the British Independent Retailers Association (bira), the results of its quarterly sales monitor, shows that 58% reported falls averaging 10%, with 42% reporting increases averaging the same 10%.
The mix in the picture shows clothing, footwear, card &...
The closure of the newspaper News of the World has caused some commentators to speculate that an increase in both Employment Tribunals could result. While the full facts of how the closure has been handled from an employer point of view are not yet known, the case does highlight some important points that any employer should be aware of when facing a redundancy situation.
ACAS...
Christmas crackers are no longer to be treated as fireworks, liqueur chocolates will not be considered the hard stuff and fly spray will cease to be viewed as a poison (except, presumably, by flies) according to proposals to simplify, combine or abolish retail regulations put forward by BIS.
The British Independent Retailers Association (bira) which took part in the first...
Long awaited, short on words, just right on details, the snappily-titled draft National Planning Policy Framework promises much to our town centres and a future of sustainable development.
The British Independent Retailers' Association (bira) has been keen to see a new framework appear since the abortive appearance of PPS4 in 2009.
At just over 50 pages the new document sets out...
"The cheque is in the post" may never have been a popular phrase where creditors were concerned, but the phrase and the cheque have both received a reprieve from the Payments Council. The 2018 termination date has been torn up and the council has promised that cheques will continue to be used for as long as people need them.
These slips of paper still hold a key place in day-to-day...
"This survey is critically important to the way government and the media see real life on the high street" said Michael Weedon of bira, announcing the opening of the latest quarterly sales monitor.
He continued: "The figures are unique: they don't portray life as seen by the supermarkets. They are laid on the table in front of the Bank of England and BIS. They reach the national press....
The public will be encouraged to buy at least one item from a local independent retailer and celebrate diversity on the high street. We’ve teamed up with trade associations such as the...
The British Independent Retailers Association (bira) has welcomed the decision to put locally raised business rates back into the hands of local authorities but warns that Nick Clegg's other idea, to allow rates to vary, could be double-edged.
The association had argued as recently as June 13 at a press conference that the current situation gives no incentive for councils to improve the...
At a time when value for money is a prized commodity in a highly competitive marketplace, bira direct is proving to be the beacon of hope for cost squeezed independent retailers.
Whilst many retailers on the high street are struggling with increasing supplier costs and cuts in consumer spending, bira direct continues to give its members a lifeline, offering generous savings, and while...
The vitally important annual bira wages survey is open online here (https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/W8H8QB9)
Past surveys have highlighted the mechanisms and degree to which the National Minimum Wage (NMW) drives the whole employee wage structure in the independent sector as well as showing the huge regional variations in pay above and around the NMW.
bira will be making...
“Town centres are suffering both natural and manmade damage, but independents are weathering the storm and are showing signs of a naturally regenerative ability that can revive the high streets of the country – if they are freed from the shackles that hamper them.” says the trade association for independent retailers, the British Independent Retailers Association...
The Mary Portas appointment has brought the attention of the country to the state of its high streets, but the debate that it has ignited has been long on opinion and sentiment, while short on facts.
Most observers can tell you what proportion of shops are vacant across the UK, as the 14.6% figure calculated by the Local Data Company has gained wide coverage. But how many can tell you...
Like all businesses, banks are nothing without their customers. However, there is a body of evidence that proves that customers have been low on the banks’ list of priorities for years with the financial crisis pushing them even further down the pecking order. Profit margins are up and the number of complaints are at record levels. A damning report from the House...
The trade association for independent retailers, BHF-BSSA Group, has taken on a new name, British Independent Retailers Association (bira). The new identity was adopted at the association's annual general meeting at Lingfield Marriott Hotel on 4th May 2011.
The previous name was adopted in the 2009 merger of the century-old BHF Group and the British Shops and Stores Association (bssa)....
The latest set of data from the British Independent Retailers Association (bira) shows that while boomtime has by no means returned to the independent non-food sector the trends are moderating, so it’s not necessarily gloomtime either.
There are significant sectoral differences, with discretionary spending continuing to be squeezed, while more basic items such as hardware continue to...
Since it’s inception in 1955,BHF Finance has been providing members with a highly valued service that is unique among trade associations as evidenced by it being funded from members’ own deposits. While being authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority,it’s prime objective has always been to provide finance to members of the Group at competitive rates to help them with...
The logic of ramping up the national minimum wage by 2.5% is deeply flawed." says trade association bira as the NMW rises above £6 per hour for the first time from October.
The retailers' organisation argues that the increase, bigger than that this time last year, should have been calculated in tandem with this week's increases in personal allowances, rather than treated entirely...
When Matt Froome, Senior Marketing Executive, introduced himself to two Cookshop members prior to last summer’s CHA Independence Day at Eckington Manor, explaining that he had been engaged in promoting BHF Finance since his appointment, he innocently asked why neither had thought of using their own Trade Association bank when funding car purchases for themselves, a service exclusive to...
The big five high street banks claim they are not lending because there is little demand from SME’s for overdrafts and loans and yet broker surveys indicate that almost half of SME’s had been turned down for a loan under recent applications. While banks have been asked to do two contradictory things at the same time (i.e build up capital reserves for protection in a financial crisis and...
Just to put it into context, the UK Government has provided nearly £1Trillion of support to the banking sector since the start of the financial crisis which is more than half of the entire annual economic output of the UK. Without bank lending increasing significantly, there were fears that there was no hope for a full economic recovery. Are banks lending more as a result? No, in fact they...
The big five high street banks have been heavily criticised for not lending to SME’s or for taking the opportunity to significantly increase the cost of overdrafts and loans to bolster their margins as they attempt to restore their balance sheet strength at the expense of their customers. With base rate at it’s lowest ever level, the cost of borrowing should be relatively cheap but that is...
Did you know that there have been more than 1m complaints about the mis-selling of PPI (Payment Protection Insurance) in the past five years? PPI is sold alongside loans and credit cards to cover the cost of repayments if you are unable to keep up repayments due to accident, sickness or unemployment. Policies have been mis-sold to those who would never be able to make a claim including the...
Steve Akers has joined bira as buyer for bira direct. Steve brings with him valuable retail buying experience which will enable bira direct to continue its long run of success in forging supplier and retail member partnerships.
Steve brings with him considerable experience in the industry, having previously held a purchasing and category management role with a member-owned DIY and...
While BHF Finance consistently top Price Comparison League Tables on vehicle loans, benchmarking is done with high street banks etc. However, we realise at BHF Finance that our true competition are the car dealers themselves.
The complexities of financing your car purchase through your dealer make it very difficult to understand whether you are getting a good deal or not. On the face of...
Zero % finance deals are often used to shift slow-selling cars or to fool the buyer into believing that they are getting the whole package at a heavily discounted rate. Beware!
Assuming that you can afford the deposit, which can be as high as 70% of the vehicle cost (as with the Land Rover Freelander Advance Payment Plan for instance) thereby minimising the amount of credit you can tap...
Research undertaken by market analyst Defaqto recently has shown that the average rate charged on a £5000 personal loan repaid over three years has increased from 8.8% APR in April 2007 to 12.9% APR now despite base rate dropping from 5.25% to an all time low of 0.5% in the same period.
Reasons for this sharp increase include a rise in the rate of default by borrowers, decreased...
Threesomes, speed dating and connubial bliss were out in the open as bira direct went upfront about the importance of togetherness with its suppliers at the Direct Away Day (14th April, Stratford on Avon). Mr & Mrs, three-minutes quickie interviews and an orgy of awards made for a breathless day's entertainment at the annual get together between the trade association-owned buying group and...
