General

On Thursday 31 May we took over The Earlham Arms on Earlham Road, Norwich, to deliver a knowledge testing evening of informal networking and team building. Over 80 attendees joined us at our annual quiz to make 14 determined teams all competing for bragging rights of being the Norfolk Chamber Pub Quiz winners.  The evening of quizzing was made up by 6 rounds, including two table top rounds. Norfolk Chamber staff took part by writing rounds for the quiz, and coming along for the evening to present their questions. As delegates arrived the drinks started flowing and they began work on their first table top round, naming the companies behind famous slogans. When the quiz got started the pub fell quiet as Nova kicked things off with a geography round. The questions were tough for all except team ‘Bills + Thieves’ who scored 9/10! Jack was up next presenting his film and TV round, featuring popular shows such as Breaking Bad, Pokémon and Parks and Recreation. Once the answers were read and scores so far counted, we took a break to enjoy some tapas served by The Earlham Arms. Throughout the break we swapped the table top round to spots questions, asking teams to name famous sporting legends in the images given. When the quizzing resumed Joe gave teams the answers to the table top slogan sheet. This was then followed by Philippa presenting a tough round on arts and culture, featuring plenty of Norfolk based questions to get the teams searching their brains.  Up next was the moment we’d all been waiting for; Chris was presenting the music round. Teams heard clips from 10 songs with a word blanked out, they had to guess what the blank word was. To make it easier, all the blanked words were body parts. This round included some singing and interesting dance moves from Chris, and saw ‘Team GGS’, ‘Bills + Thieves’ and ‘Tiger Eye AKA King Quizzard + the Lizard Wizards’ score top marks with 10/10.  Jack closed the quizzing by giving the answers to the sports table top round and we collected the final scores.  Not only did they have the longest team name in quiz history, but ‘Tiger Eye AKA King Quizzard + the Lizard Wizards’ were also crowned winners with a total score of 54.5 out of a possible 77. They left victorious along with their medals, some chocolates and free tickets to our bowling night. You can see the full scoreboard from the evening below: Position: Team Name: Score: 1st Tiger Eye AKA King Quizzard + the Lizard Wizards 54.5 2nd Bills + Thieves 52 3rd Team GGS 50 3rd If you know the answer you know the answer 50 4th Mattioli Woods 49.5 5th Liftshare 48.5 6th Always Huge Potential 45.5 7th What Skills Gap! 44 8th Cozens-Hardly Know Anything 43 9th Blame Bailey 42 10th Price Bailey 41.5 11th The gloves are off 39.5 12th Steele the Show 38.5 13th The Hopefuls 35

Fancy joining us at our next evening event along with our quiz winners? Take a look!

Commenting ahead of today’s Cabinet meeting and the Prime Minister’s statement to the House of Commons on the Brexit negotiations, Dr Adam Marshall, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said:

“At this pivotal moment, the government must take decisive steps to avoid the damage that a messy and disorderly exit would cause to business and the economy in just a month’s time. 

“It is time to be honest. Government and its agencies are not prepared for a ‘no deal’ exit on 29th March. Neither are many businesses. 

“The overriding priority must be to assure businesses, employees, investors and communities that an unwanted ‘no deal’ scenario will not be allowed to happen by default on March 29th.”

On Wednesday 27 February we booked out the top floor of Bill’s Norwich for a sold out networking breakfast. With over 85 businesses joining us in the newly refurbished restaurant, and different menu options to awaken the taste buds.  The morning started with coffee of course, followed by some networking time between attendees. On arrival, we gave each delegate a sticker with a name on. This name then paired up with another in the room, for example if you had salt, you would have to find pepper. The activity got delegates mixed around and meeting businesses they may not have met before.  It was then time to sit down for breakfast, with Full English, vegetarian, vegan and the healthy option of avocado on toast dishes flowing out of the kitchen. Conversations carried on over breakfast filling Bill’s with a great atmosphere.  When everyone was full we welcomed our guest speaker James Groves of Indigo Swan. James joined us to give his top five tips to embed a positive culture in your workplace. James’ top tips were: 1. Remember that culture is not just felt internally, but externally as well 2. Live your values – it’s not just words 3. Walk the walk, don’t just talk the talk 4. Show you care about your people personally 5. Enjoy what you do! After answering some questions from the audience with fellow swans Tom, Alex and Aimee, James left the audience with a final question – ‘when is the best time to plant a tree?’. The answer; 20 years ago. Given that none of us have a time machine handy, James emphasised how you can’t go back, but you can start now.  Our next Norwich event is our Wine Tasting at HarperWells! Make sure you join us to socialise among the business community over wine tasting and cheese boards. Click here for more details.

HMRC are encouraging businesses trading outside the UK to apply for an Economic Operator Registration Identification (EORI) number. If the UK leaves the EU without a deal, from 11pm on 29th March, UK businesses will need to apply the same processes as are currently used when exporting and importing outside the EU.

If you’re VAT registered this process is simple and can be done online, it should only take around 10 minutes. You’ll need your VAT registration number and name of your business in which you’re VAT registered.

If you’re not VAT registered you’ll need some more information which can be found here. 

To apply for your EORI number or find out more please click here.

Export Licences

The Department for International Trade has announced a new Open General Export License (OGEL) for the export of dual-use goods (with both civilian and military application) to the EU. These items could be used for both civil and military applications and could include: goods, software, technology, documents, diagrams, raw materials such as chemicals, components like bearings and complete systems such as lasers. You can find further information on these items here.

The licence will come into effect as from 11pm on 29th March, if the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

You can find out more here.

Transitional Simplified Procedures

HMRC has written to 145,000 businesses who are trading with the EU regarding the transitional simplified procedures (TSP) for customs, if we leave the EU without a deal.

The procedures should help to avoid prolonged checks at the border and would also mean that goods can be transported from the EU to the UK without having to make a full customs declaration at the border, also delaying the payment for import duties.

Whilst we are not sure how long these changes will last; the government have said they will provide 12 months’ notice if any changes need to be made.

Registrations for TSP are now open, and businesses can register if they have an EORI number, please click here for more information.

If you have a specific query or need more advice on Brexit, please contact: [email protected] or call 01603 625977.

• Completion of the improvements to Ely North Junction
• New Rolling Stock
• Priority loops at Chelmsford to create more capacity
• Electrification of the Norwich to Cambridge line

The four-county East Anglia Rail Summit met in Westminster yesterday, one year on from the launch of the East Anglia Rail Prospectus.

Representatives from Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and Cambridge; together with Network Rail and Greater Anglia Rail Franchise all attended the summit. Norfolk’s delegation included the Norfolk Chamber, the majority of the Norfolk MPs, Norfolk County Council and New Anglia LEP.

The summit reviewed the improvements that have been approved for Ely Junction, Bow Junction and the West Anglia three tracking system. The improvements to Ely junction will allow more capacity and will facilitate a half hourly service from King’s Lynn to London, as well as providing another step in the right direction for the Norwich to London in 90 minutes.

Despite theencouraging progress, the group agreed that more rail improvements were necessary:

• Improvements to Chelmsford to create a priority loop which will provide additional capacity, that will benefit all four counties and create economic benefits across the region.

• New Rolling Stock – the existing rolling stock will no longer be compliant by 2019, however to ensure new rolling stock is deliverable in good time, it must be called for now.

• Electrification of the Norwich to Cambridge line – Huge advances have been made in bio and life sciences in both Norwich and Cambridge. Long-term, there is an economic case to be made for electrification of the line to ensure that both cities can benefit from linking science and innovation with ease of access.

Read updates issued by the Export Control Organisation including details about imposition of arms embargoes, Open General Export Licence amendments or announcements about Control List changes.

Notice to Exporters 2013/18 The Secretary of State has decided that reporting requirements on the use of Open Licences under the Transparency Initiative will be scaled back. Read more about this important decision.

Notice to Exporters 2013/19 Changes to Open General Export Licence (Military Goods: Collaborative Project Typhoon).

Notice to Exporters 2013/20 A number of Open General Export Licences (OGELs) were amended as a result of Croatia becoming a Member State of the EU on 1 July 2013. There was a mistake in the Military Goods, Software and Technology OGEL which has now been corrected – read this Notice for details.

Commenting on the draft rules on the EU Settlement Scheme statement of intent, published today by the Home Office, Mike Spicer, Director of Research at the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said:

“The guidance published today will be welcomed by employers and EU employees alike. It provides clear information on the status of EU nationals resident in the UK and those who arrive during the transition period after March next year. We know that some businesses lost European employees in the aftermath of the referendum, owing to the uncertainty they faced, so assurances that they can stay are a positive step forward. The next step is for the draft rules to be laid before Parliament and we urge all Parliamentarians to ensure this stage is concluded swiftly.

“We look forward to working with the Home Office to ensure greater clarity on this and other areas in the long term.”

Have you considered China as your next export market?

Looking for advice on doing business with China?

China-Britain Business Council (CBBC) is hosting a 1-2-1 business clinic with an expert China advisor on the 13th March, 2019 in Norwich. Boyi Mu- China Market Business Advisor from CBBC will be available to discuss matters ranging from the market potential for your products or services, to how to establish a presence in the market, as well as the support and services available to help you deal with the unique challenges in China and develop your business in a cost effective way.

Please click here for more information and to register for the event.

The British Chambers of Commerce today (07/03/19) launched the opening of the Chamber Business Awards at London Stock Exchange with 2018 Business of the Year winners Northcoders.  The prestigious competition is one of the showpiece events in the business calendar, recognising and promoting the best of British business through a series of regional heats, culminating in a Gala Awards Dinner, which will take place in London on 28 November 2019. Entries open today and will run until Friday 28 June. Next year’s winners of the Business of the Year award will have the same chance to open the market at London Stock Exchange as a prize, a rare opportunity for a private business.   In 2018 Norfolk triumphed on both a regional and national level. When the regional winners were announced we we’re so excited that five Norfolk businesses took six awards. This meant those businesses were entered into the national heats to compete against businesses across the country. On the big night, Larking Gowen LLP and Liftshare took home national runner up titles in their award categories, and Gnaw Chocolate won Small Business of the Year 2018! We want to continue this success in 2019 with the aim of getting more Norfolk businesses to enter, and ultimately to win those awards! We know there are great things happening across our county, now is the time to shout about it to the whole of the UK.  There are nine categories available to enter including two new ones:

• Export Business of the Year
• High Growth Business of the Year
• Customer Commitment Award
• Small Business of the Year
• E-Commerce Business of the Year – new and open to non-members
• Best Use of Technology
• Workplace Wellbeing Award
• Employer of the Year
• Family Business of the Year – new

These awards are only available for Chambers members to enter, with the exception of E-Commerce Business of the Year which is open to all businesses. Visit our awards page to find more information, winning tips, FAQ’s and of course… to enter!

The King’s Lynn Business Improvement District (BID) is a unique opportunity for businesses to input and dictate the projects required to give the town centre a major improvement over a five year period.

Their Draft Business Plan has now been published and they are seeking views from businesses across King’s Lynn town centre on the proposals. Every business in King’s Lynn will be asked to vote on the final business plan due to be published later this year, so why not have your say in shaping the plans.

King’s Lynn BID could have a major improvement not only in King’s Lynn centre as a whole, but also your business. Please carefully consider this proposal and help them develop a better and brighter King’s Lynn.

Information Events

A series of BID information events have been planned – come along and find out about the proposed BID Business Plan for King’s Lynn, What a BID is and why businesses in King’s Lynn should get involved.

• 22nd July 18:00 – 19:30 Marriot’s Warehouse
• 25th July 12:30 – 14:00 Yours Business Network
• 26th July 07:30 – 08:30 The Lounge Cafe
• 30th July 18:00 – 19:30 Majestic Cinema

Each event will commence with a presentation followed by questions and answers. There will be plenty of opportunity afterwards to chat informally about the proposals with fellow town centre businesses. Copies of the business plan will be available at each event or click here to view it online.

• Retail sales volumes for July 2013: up 1.1% on the month; up 3.0% on the year
• There was strong growth in supermarket sales, boosted by the sunny weather
• The share of internet sales within total sales continues to increase

Commenting on the retail sales figures for July 2013, published today by the ONS, David Kern, Chief Economist at the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) said:

“We are now seeing a clear upward trend in retail sales, and these figures suggest that the pace of GDP growth in the third quarter will continue at a modest pace. Some commentators have suggested that strong retail sales, while other areas of the economy remain weak, will lead to an unbalanced economic structure. We don’t share these concerns, as although we would like to see more growth coming from investment and net trade, it is better to rely initially on domestic demand than to have no growth at all. And while net exports are not as strong as we would like, there is an improvement – a point that many commentators ignore. To maintain business confidence we should focus on the positive features of our economy. In addition, increasing the flow of credit to growing businesses and keeping inflation low will help to gradually rebalance the economy.”

Business leaders from Norfolk and Suffolk discovered the benefits of connecting regional economies on a recent trade mission to the South West.

A delegation of 20 visited the area to learn more about its nuclear power and food and drink sectors, and to seek mutual business opportunities.

After flying from Norwich Airport to Exeter Airport, the delegation visited Hinkley Point C nuclear power station in North Somerset – the largest construction site in Europe – and the family-owned Trewithen Dairy in Lostwithiel, Cornwall.

With many similarities between the regions, including the thriving food and drink sectors and the design of Hinkley C being replicated at Sizewell C in Suffolk in the near future, the visit was hailed a great success.

Richard Pace, managing director of Norwich Airport, said: “Once again the importance of connecting regional economies and the opportunities for partnership between our regions have been highlighted.

“There is enormous potential in terms or businesses working together, and the Norwich to Exeter route is proving to be an important part of this. It’s a 45-minute flight compared to a five or six hour rail or road journey, so there are huge savings in terms of time and efficiency in the working day.”

The visit was arranged by Norwich Airport and Exeter Airport through their respective Connects business ambassador networks, which aim to forge closer trading links between the regions. Both airports are part of Regional and City Airports, the airport management division of Rigby Group plc.

The trip builds on a trade mission from the South West to Norwich 18 months ago and was supported by the South West Business Council, New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and Flybe.

Doug Field, Chair of New Anglia LEP, said: “There are many opportunities within the UK to strengthen our local economies and this visit has enabled us to explore how our regions can collaborate to accelerate growth.

“Regional airports are important hubs and we need to do more to maximise their benefits and improve that connectivity. Our growing relationship with the South West of England could open doors for new business and trading collaborations.

“We were particularly interested in the nuclear new build at Hinkley Point and applying best practice ensuring that any potential future development at Sizewell will generate maximum benefit for local businesses across the supply chain, create more contract opportunities and boost local jobs.”

Nova Fairbank, head of policy for Norfolk Chambers of Commerce, said: “The sheer scale of the operation at Hinkley Point C is amazing – the vastness of the site and potential opportunities for businesses is enormous and really exciting to see.

“Watching Hinkley unfold is a fantastic learning opportunity for us. We’re looking at what was done well, what were the pitfalls, how to avoid them, how to make Sizewell C go faster and better in terms of delivery.”

John Dugmore, Chief Executive of Suffolk Chamber of Commerce, said: “With two similar economies – both rural, both reliant on similar sectors – it’s been invaluable to share best practice.

“It’s also been fascinating to see how the Chambers of Commerce in Somerset have worked with the business community to get into the supply chain, where £1.6 billion worth of contracts have been delivered to local businesses through the building of Hinkley Point C.”

Sandy Ruddock, owner of Suffolk business Scarlett & Mustard and a Board member of the New Anglia LEP, said: “Both our areas are slightly out on a limb so it has been really good to hear how the South West is overcoming things like distribution and how smaller businesses are getting together. Rather than competition, there’s a real air of collaboration and I think we can learn from that and really move forward.”

The Norfolk and Suffolk delegation comprised the following:

Food and drink businesses: Scarlett & Mustard, East of England Coop, Hillfarm Oils, The Wildmeat Co, Food Enterprise Park and Bullards Spirits.

Energy sector representatives: EDF Nuclear new build, East of England Energy Group, Suffolk and Norfolk Chambers of Commerce, EnerMech and Suffolk County Council.

To register your business interest for the Sizewell C Nuclear project supply chain click here.