Chamber News

Join the Norfolk Chamber at the Festival of Social Enterprise and see how to grow your Charity or Social enterprise.

Of the many emerging sectors in UK business, Social Enterprise is one sector that is growing not just in Norfolk but also right across the UK. We know that government funding and contracts have been cut and Non -profit organisations and Charities now have to look at generating their income by diversification and earn income through mutually beneficial relationships with businesses from all sectors.

Overcoming issues they face and learning new ways to be innovative is just a hint of what on offer at this great event.

Hear from Top Social Enterprise organisations In The Curve such as Nigel Kershaw OBE (Big Issue Invest), Michael Norton (Buzzbnk) Cliff Prior (Unltd) and David Floyd (Social Spider CIC).

Learn new ideas and skills in The Cube with workshops by Sara Burgess, (CIC Regulator, Companies House), James Kearns (Build), Lyndon Green, (LGL)and Clayton Anderson, SOS Training and Evaluation & Ken Shelton, The Robert Ashton Organisation

We will be exhibiting along with lots of other great exhibitors in the Atrium featuring

• Disability Works CIC
• Norfolk Chamber of Commerce
• Sapid Designs
• UnLtd
• Buzzbnk
• Enable East
• New Anglia LEP
• Eastern Enterprise Hub / SSE
• Social Spider CIC
• Lyndon Green
• Signs Express
• The White Horse, Upton
• Voluntary Norfolk/Charity Backroom
• Charities Buying Group
• Profit is Good
• Campbell Cloud Films
• 4 My Schools
• Europeducation
• Vidacom CIC
• Harris & Harris Accountancy Services
• Sported
• The Sam Buxton Sunflower Healing Trust
• Social Enterprise Norfolk
• Health East
• Royal British Legion
• Broadland District Council
• Community Network
• Horizon
• The Grow Organisation UK

To book your place or for more information visit https://festivalofsocialenterprise.co.uk/new12/

Following the historic Aung San Suu Kyi visit to the UK and Europe, the suspension of sanctions by the EU and the easing of sanctions by the US it is clear that Burma/Myanmar is re-entering the international business community.

High-profile investor Jim Rogers recently said that Myanmar/Burma was “probably the best investment opportunity in the world right now”, comparing it to China when it opened up in 1978.

A blue chip British delegation on a recent trip included Anglo American, BP, British Gas, Ernst & Young, Rolls Royce and Shell. One key conclusion was of an urgent need for massive investment in all aspects of infrastructure. British Industry shouldn’t miss this opportunity.

To meet this need, City & Financial, with the support of UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) and the UK-ASEAN Business Council, is organising The New Burma Investment and Trade Summit in Central London on 27th September 2012. The Myanmar-Britain Business Association is also supporting the event.

The Summit has been tailored to provide delegates with practical information about doing business in Burma/Myanmar. It will also offer a platform for networking with other UK companies that are likely to be at the forefront in tendering for major contracts.

More detailed information can be found here. To obtain 10% discount on the cost of this event, please mention that you heard about it from Norfolk Chamber of Commerce.

• Manufacturing output for June 2012: -2.9% on the month, -4.3% on the year

Commenting on the manufacturing output figures for June, published today by the ONS, David Kern, Chief Economist at the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said:

“While many expected a large decline in manufacturing output in June due to the Queen’s Jubilee, the decline was less than some predicted, and less than the ONS implied in its provisional GDP estimate for Q2 2012. However the decline is disappointing, and the latest index of production indicates that manufacturing output will record a 2% fall in 2012, and the economy as a whole will be in negative territory.

“Longer-term trends in manufacturing are still disappointing. Manufacturers and businesses in other sectors are adjusting to a more difficult reality of weaker growth prospects. But British businesses have considerable potential to make progress, and it is down to the government to help them fulfill this. As the government continues with steps to reduce the deficit, and problems in the eurozone continue, more action is needed to help the economy return to growth.

“More QE is not the most effective remedy. The government should concentrate on aggressive deregulation, infrastructure spending, ensuring the Funding for Lending Scheme is successful, and steps aimed to help manufacturers, and other businesses, export.”

• EU is most popular market for UK exporters, but for a third of firms the disadvantages associated with regulation imposed by Brussels outweigh the benefits of the Single Market

Economic developments in the eurozone is top of the list of issues businessowners believe will affect their firm this year and next, according to a poll of almost 2,000 firms released today by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC). Over half (52%) of firms believe that the eurozone crisis will have a significant influence on their business in 2012 and 2013, followed closely by cuts to UK public sector budgets (46% of businesses), and access to finance (42% of businesses).

The EU remains the favoured export destination for UK firms. The majority (78%) of businesses believe that it is relatively easy to do business with other countries in Europe, however it only has a small lead on the USA & Canada – 62% of firms believe it is easy to trade with these countries, followed closely by Australia and New Zealand (60% of firms). At the other end of the spectrum, 44% of businesses find it difficult to trade with Brazil, 52% with Central and South America (excluding Brazil). Almost two-thirds of firms (63%) find it difficult to trade with Russia.

The survey also found over one third of firms (35%) believe that the disadvantages of rules and regulations imposed by Brussels outweigh the benefits of being part of the Single Market.

The results follow findings released last week showing that British businesses are not in favour of further EU integration. The survey found that only 12% of firms want to leave the EU altogether. Almost half of businesses (47%) want to negotiate a looser relationship but with the UK remaining a member of the European Union. Only 9% of businesses want further integration.

Commenting on the findings, John Longworth, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said:

“British firms seem to feel that the balance of advantage of EU membership is lessening. That one third of firms think the negatives associated with membership in the form of regulation outweigh the benefits of the Single Market is surprising. It demonstrates that more must be done to make the Single Market work better for businesses looking to export. This includes the creation of a digital single market, making a reality of the internal market for energy, and deepening the single market in services.

“While UK companies find it easier to trade with other countries in Europe, the lead is not as strong as it should be, and it is an indictment of the Single Market that it is almost as easy to trade with countries as far as away as the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The UK government must help to deliver a Single Market that works, and make efforts to stem the tide of regulation from Brussels that prevent business from growing.”

This week saw the Funding for Lending Scheme (FLS) open for business. From August, banks and building societies can borrow in the FLS at cheaper rates, for periods of up to four years. Designed to provide cheaper borrowing to businesses, the Norfolk Chamber has welcomed the scheme as an improvement on the National Loan Guarantee Scheme announced by the Chancellor in March’s Budget. However we continue to urge the government to look at more radical solutions like the creation of a state-backed business bank, to make sure new and growing companies are able to access finance.

You can find out more about how the Funding for Lending Scheme works here.

The British Chambers of commerce Energy Survey closes this weekend so if you have not already completed this survey, we would appreciate you taking a few minutes to submit a response.

The survey will help us better understand the impact of volatile energy costs, the measures businesses have taken to reduce their energy usage, and the relationship between businesses and their energy suppliers. If you would like to tweet about the survey please use the hashtag #bccenergy.

A link to the survey can be found here.

Global Entrepreneurship Week takes place on 12-18 November 2012. It is the world’s largest campaign to promote entrepreneurship, taking place in 115 countries. In 2012, Global Entrepreneurship Week UK will be used to pass on the practical help and support needed by early start-ups and individuals who are considering taking the plunge.

Events will be taking place across the country for more information click here.

Member 2 Member Offers

Tap into our ever-expanding range of exclusive special deals uploaded by other members for you and your staff to enjoy.

Get access to great Business 2 Business, Business 2 Employee and Business 2 Startup Business deals that enable members to save money, encourage them to buy local and even offer something great for their staff to enjoy.

Chris Perry, Norfolk Chamber’s Membership Manager, explains: “We always want our members to support each other and I have actively encouraged members to ‘buy Local’ from each other. Taking that into consideration, and with an ever-increasing amount of calls from members wanting to offer exclusive deals for the membership, we decided to create a section on the website that allows our members to upload an offer at any time that is exclusive to the Norfolk Chamber Membership.”

The offers are split onto four sections:

• Business 2 Business Offers
• Business 2 Employee Offers
• Business 2 Start-up offer (exclusive for businesses up to 12 months old)
• Gold Patron Offers

Each section will allow members to tap into a range of offers that will keep changing as members upload new deals and in turn benefit from the free advertising and marketing that comes with it.

All of the offers that businesses upload will be sent out via our social media channels and, given constant, exposure on our site and in other Chamber media.

The offers we get must be exclusive and not something that anyone can get just by logging onto their website.

To find out more on these offers, please visit the website here

If you want to upload your very own member 2 Member offer then just register on our website and if you’re a Norfolk Chamber member we will give you access to upload your offer. For more information please contact the Membership team on 01603 625977.

Commenting on the opening of the Funding for Lending Scheme (FLS), Caroline Williams CEO Norfolk Chamber of Commerce said:

“We hope that the Funding for Lending scheme will incentivise banks to lend and address some of the problems faced by Norfolk businesses in accessing finance. We’re pleased to see a more imaginative approach to providing cheaper lending to businesses and it is a welcome step forward.

“However, the real test for the scheme will be whether the funding reaches fast-growing or new enterprises, particularly those that have had difficulties accessing the finance needed to start-up, develop and expand. While the scheme will provide cheaper lending, it remains to be seen whether it will extend beyond those companies that would have qualified for loans in the first place.

“To help those new and growing businesses, so vital to achieving economic growth now and in the future, the government needs to consider more radical measures to solve the access to finance puzzle. The creation of a state-backed business bank would help companies that have been unable to get credit from banks, so they can start-up, invest, expand and create jobs.”

Train operator Greater Anglia is providing extra late night trains, additional carriages and a Saturday frequency of service on Sundays for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Special Games timetables and informative leaflets on Olympic travel arrangements are available at stations giving details of the extra services operating to destinations including: Bishops Stortford, Harlow, Cambridge, Cheshunt, Clacton-on-Sea, Colchester, Hertford East, Ipswich, Norwich, Shenfield and Southend Victoria, and many intermediate stations served by these routes. On Sundays more trains will operate, with a revised Saturday timetable running on key routes serving the Games.

During the period of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Greater Anglia will be providing an average of around 150,000 extra seats each day on trains across its network serving London Liverpool Street, Stratford, other East London stations and the East Anglia region.

Details of train times for the Games and advice on travel is available on-line via the Greater Anglia website at: www.greateranglia.co.uk

Greater Anglia will have additional staff at key stations during the Games, to assist customers with their enquiries and to provide support to the existing customer service teams. Based at Norwich, Ipswich, Colchester, Chelmsford, Shenfield, Romford, Ilford, Tottenham Hale, Harlow Town, Bishop’s Stortford and Cambridge stations, in addition to the extra staff at the ready at London Liverpool Street, Stratford and Cheshunt, the teams will be easily identifiable in smart magenta tabards, and with their Olympic handbooks at the ready. Their main focus will be to provide customer service assistance, give information concerning Games related activity and support other Greater Anglia employees during the busy Games period this summer.

Upgrades to customer service information screens at some Greater Anglia rail stations means that passengers travelling to the Games will benefit from additional travel information concerning Olympic events. Greater Anglia identified 15 key stations for upgrade including Cambridge, Chelmsford, Cheshunt, Ipswich and Hackney Downs and has installed new plasma screens to enhance the provision of customer information. The screens will be used to keep passengers updated on any travel-related issues getting to the Games, in addition to the usual train running information provided by the existing customer information screens.

Norfolk Chamber’s Business & Finance Group met this afternoon to discuss the local economy and the actions to be taken. The group, consisting of accountants and bankers, identified that at present the lending market is somewhat subdued, with businesses not applying to borrow from their banks. Natwest, Barclays and HSBC all confirmed that their credit balances were high, due to many companies holding onto their cash and operating on a ‘wait and see’ basis.

However, everyone advised that their Start Ups were matching last year’s figures and were even expected to show in increase over 2011.

The decision was made to hold an event targeted at new business wishing to go to the next stage of their growth and development. More details to follow.

The results of the Q2 2012 DHL/BCC Trade Confidence Index reflect that exporters are operating in a difficult environment.

This quarter’s index showed an increase in the number of firms reporting an increase in export orders, up from 39% in Q1 to +49% in Q2. However, many indicators showed that exporters are still operating in a challenging environment.

• Manufactures report a big increase in exchange rate concerns
• Export orders rise for service firms, but fall for manufacturers
• Overall, profitability expectations deteriorate

While overall export activity seems to be relatively buoyant, other indicators of domestic performance and employment intentions have weakened (although still do suggest expansion).

What is perhaps most surprising about the promising export numbers is that the fieldwork period for this survey was conducted during another negative turning point in the seemingly never-ending euro debt crisis. Greece had just completed inconclusive elections (the fieldwork was completed before the electoral re-run on 17 June), and Bankia, Spain’s fourth biggest bank, required a bailout.

But despite the broad export indicators delivering better than expected results, there were other signs in the bigger picture that suggested difficulties for internationally trading firms.

Full report: https://www.britishchambers.org.uk/policy-maker/policy-reports-and-public…