Chamber News

Help us give a warm welcome to the newest members of Norfolk Chambers of Commerce for the month of October

Visit their business to explore what they have to offer. Click on a business name below to view the full listing in our Member Directory.

Aqcuity A niche consultancy specialising in organisation development, design, and leadership. I work with organisations seeking to refresh their strategies, renew their team and make step changes in executive performance.  Archive-Vault Ltd Proud to be a family-run business, we have provided clients with affordable solutions for secure document storage and records management since 2006.

Barkers Photos We also offer a lot of non-studio services (eg Event photography, wedding photography, cine and vhs to dvd, negative and slide scanning, photo restoration etc).

Bicycle Links Bicycle Links is a friendly bike-recycling workshop in central Norwich. We run workshops, repair and sell second-hand bikes and encourage safer cycling skill

Condimentum Condimentum is a new company with an established legacy which processes mustard seed, mint and horseradish to provide a range of ingredients for the food industry.

Hannah Sell’s Tea I’m Hannah Sell, and my helper and production partner Kev Wilson and I are starting out as tea merchants local to Norwich.

Housecheckr Buying a Home? Traditional house surveys don’t check for the practical things that could cost you money. Our Home Fixtures Survey does.

The Learning Tank  At The Learning Tank our philosophy is to provide comprehensive, uncomplicated and affordable E-learning for all business’s.

Method Marketing A content marketing consultancy

Satchells of Burnham Market Established in the 1880s, Satchells now boasts a huge selection of wines and spirits from all over the world, including several single malt whiskies.

Selesti A digital agency for brands with ambition. We use strategies, technologies and campaigns to help brands achieve extraordinary things.

Shepherds Health & Safety Ltd We are a health and safety training provider based in Norfolk, but we cover the whole of the UK.

The Hearing Care Centre East Anglia’s multi-award winning, private and independent hearing care company. 

Wymondham College Truly unique, World Class state school for day and boarding students aged 11-18. With ‘outstanding’ judgements from Ofsted for both education and boarding elements of the College and one of the few UK state schools to hold the ‘World Class’ accolade, we are amongst the highest performing schools in the country.

Ahead of the forthcoming general election, Norfolk Chambers, in conjunction with our members want to call on any future government to deliver a bold and clear strategy to support economic growth across Norfolk, all the regions and nations of the UK.

Health, immigration and crime, as well as avoiding a messy disorderly No Deal Brexit, are all important and relevant issues for business.  However, we feel that clear action is needed on a range of domestic fronts, including improving the competitiveness of the UK’s business environment; upgrading physical and digital infrastructure across the country; and supporting business growth; whilst balancing the need to be sustainable.

Norfolk Chambers want to support the Norfolk business community to send a strong message that this election cannot, and must not, be about Brexit alone.  So we have put together a manifesto which highlights some key asks of any future government.  We will be using the manifesto for all media enquiries and when talking to the various parties and future Ministers in Westminster.  These include:

• Infrastructure
• Skills
• Trade
• Sustainability
• Brexit

Our mission is to ‘connect, support and give voice to every business in Norfolk’ – therefore we want to hear your voice and opinions. 

Please can we ask you to provide your opinions on subjects such as infrastructure, skills, overseas trade, sustainability and of course Brexit.

Give us your opinion now.

The previous Quarter 3 results highlighted the continued impact of economic uncertainty on our economy.  The manufacturing sector reported the lowest level on exports since the EU Referendum in 2016.  And the normally buoyant services sector saw falling domestic and export sales and orders.

Norfolk’ manufacturing sector saw a marked downward shift in many indicators in the third quarter. The balance of firms reported weak sales and domestic orders and export sales dropped to the lowest level since Q1 2016. Business confidence in turnover and profitability among manufacturers fell.

The dominant Norfolk services sector also saw decreased domestic sales and orders and export orders. The balance of firms confident in turnover and profitability improvements fell in quarter three, as did the balance for investment in training.  

With Brexit postponed until 31 January and a General Election set for 12 December –  we need your help to clearly understand what shape the Norfolk economy is in.  The Quarterly Economic Survey for Quarter 4 is now underway and we need to hear from as many Norfolk businesses as possible. Please take the short survey Q4 Quarterly Economic Survey (QES).

The QES is the largest independent business survey in the UK and is used by both the Bank of England and the Chancellor of the Exchequer to plan the future of the UK economy.  It is also closely watched by the International Monetary Fund.  It is vital that as many Norfolk businesses as possible take part, so we get a true reflection of the local economy.

You can have your say by completing the QES online NOW.  It takes less than 3 minutes.  The completion deadline for this survey is midnight on Monday 25 November 2019.  The Q4 results will be published in the first week of January 2020.

Key findings in the Q3 2019 survey:

Norfolk Manufacturing sector  

• The balance of firms reporting increased domestic sales rose from -13 in Q2 2019, to 0, whilst those reporting increased domestic orders rose, but remained in negative territory from -19 to -11.
• The balance of firms reporting improved export sales fell from +23 to -6  and the balance of firms reporting increased export orders dropped from +15 to -24.
• The balance of firms reporting improved cashflow fell into negative territory from +25 to -5.
• The balance of firms increasing investment in plant/machinery rose in the quarter from -19 to +10 remaining historically weak, and investment in training rose from -6 to +10.
• The balance of firms confident that turnover and profitability will increase in the next 12 months fell from +50 to +38 for turnover and from +19 to +14 for profitability.

Norfolk Services sector  

• The balance of firms reporting increased domestic sales fell from +12 in Q2 2019 to +8. Those reporting increased domestic orders fell slightly from +4 to 0.
• The balance of firms reporting improved export sales fell from +4 to -5.  Those reporting increased export orders continuing in negative territory fell still further from -4 to -5.
• The balance of firms reporting improved cashflow rose very slightly from -5 to +2 but remains weak by historic standards.
• The balance of firms looking to increase investment in plant and machinery drastically fell from +2 to -14 and fell slightly from +10 to +7 in training.
• The balance of firms confident that turnover and profitability will improve over the next year decreased from +30 to +10 for turnover from +12 to -5 for profitability.

You may not think of Psychopaths and The Norfolk Chamber of Commerce in the same sentence (well, hopefully not) but our West Norfolk Networking lunch on Friday 1st November was a very interesting couple of hours… Our West Norfolk events are relaxed affairs, our members being a chatty and engaging bunch, and new visitors are made to feel welcome and engaged the moment they walk in. We have a wide cross section of businesses and it is the perfect opportunity to meet other local companies. The relaxed setting was a perfect back drop for our guest speaker Chamber Member Steve Gaskin, Director of Right Angle Events to talk to us about his 25 year background as a Detective Chief Inspector with The Metropolitan Police. Busy these days running a successful teambuilding company, Steve is a fascinating and engaging man. We learnt how the traits of Psychopaths can impact upon certain sectors, and are used in business skills and training. Steve then invited the room to take part in a Psychometric test to see where they fell on the scale – thankfully he didn’t ask for the results to be shared, but it was an interesting and fun way to end to his talk and certainly created quite a stir! Following the success of our King’s Lynn Two Hour Tuesdays, the change of timings from our West Norfolk Networking breakfasts to a lunch event has happily been well received, and it offers a mix of timings that make networking that much easier in West Norfolk. We look forward to our next lunch and meeting you there!

The British Chambers of Commerce, together with the accredited Chamber Network, including Norfolk Chambers, run Britain’s largest and most influential independent business survey – the Quarterly Economic Survey (QES).  The next fieldwork period for the QES will start on Monday 04 November and will be open for 3 weeks. 

But why should your organisation take part?  Nova Fairbank, Norfolk Chambers’ Head of Policy outlines why she wants more input from Norfolk businesses:

“The QES is Britain’s largest, and longest-running, private business survey and it’s a leading economic indicator – often picking up big changes in the economy long before other surveys or official statistics.  With the continued uncertainty of Brexit and the UK economy effectively treading water, it is more important than ever that as many businesses as possible take part.

“By completing the QES you are helping to identify how strong our local economy is and how well it is performing against the national averages and some international measures. Norfolk has many dynamic and innovative businesses, we need to have a strong voice and ensure our region gets both the credit and the investment that it deserves.”

Below are just a few more reasons why your organisation should take part in this important economic survey:

1. It’s provided consistent data since 1989, and regularly receives over 7,500 business responses. Compare that to the average business survey, which garners only a few hundred responses.

1. Norfolk responses represent over 34% of the responses from the East of England.  (East of England includes: Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire).

1. The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee uses the QES as one of its key benchmarks when setting interest rates.

1. HM Treasury and the independent Office for Budget Responsibility use the QES to put together their forecasts for the UK’s economic performance.

1. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) use the QES when comparing the UK to competitors worldwide.

The more Norfolk businesses that take part – the louder the voice of the Norfolk business community will be.  So what can your business do to contribute to the QES?  During the fieldwork period, the survey can be completed electronically.  There are several ways to access this online survey either:

• Use the link within the Chamber Policy news article or;
• Use the link that the Chamber can send direct to you

To be added to the Norfolk Chambers’ QES email list, please contact Nova Fairbank or Jack Edwards.  Emails: [email protected] and [email protected].

The online survey takes less than 3 minutes and your input is vital to help ensure that Norfolk business has a strong collective ‘voice’.

TOP-PERFORMING businesses are invited to take centre stage by entering the Spirit of Enterprise Awards, the most prestigious annual celebration of business excellence in the Great Yarmouth borough.

Organised by enterpriseGY, Great Yarmouth Borough Council’s business support and inward investment service, the popular awards aim to recognise and raise the profile of the area’s top-performing businesses, while boosting confidence in the strength of the local economy.  

The awards are free-of-charge to enter online at www.enterpriseGY.co.uk. Businesses of all sizes and sectors are encouraged to put themselves forward for one or more of the nine categories before entries close on Friday, November 22.

This year, there are some new categories, plus extra incentive to enter as all entrants will automatically be entered into the Norfolk Business Awards in 2020, where there is a like-for-like category.

The finalists and winners in the Spirit of Enterprise Awards will be showcased in the media and at a glittering awards ceremony and gala dinner at the Town Hall’s prestigious Assembly Room in spring.

Each award is backed by a different local sponsor, who shortlists the finalists and chooses their category winner. This year, the main sponsor is last year’s Business of the Year, API Microelectronics Ltd, who will choose the 2019/20 Business of the Year from the winners of the other categories.

The other confirmed sponsors are P&S Personnel, Noritake Itron, ASCO Group, Potters Friends Foundation and Lovewell Blake.

Nominate your business now!

For businesses wanting to understand what they need to do to prepare for  Brexit, you can now watch this free HM Government online Brexit Business Readiness Event to watch presentations from government advisers and to find out what actions your business needs to take to prepare for Brexit. 

Understand what Brexit means for business, find out why personal data matters, plan for imports, exports and international trade after Brexit, and learn more about how to prepare your services business, or what to do if you operate in food and drink, farming, fisheries, waste, or chemical sectors.  

You can view the presentation online by clicking this link – Online Brexit Business Readiness Event. 

The B2B Exhibition made its debut at Norfolk Showground on Thursday 17th October, opening its doors to the business community 21 years after it first began.  The move to Norfolk Showground saw the event grow significantly with more attendees joining us for a day for face-to-face networking and problem solving. Overall, the event had an increased sense of community with all exhibitors together in one hall, as well as a fun and buzzing atmosphere from start to finish. Doors opened at 10am and all 99 of our exhibitors were ready to go, including event sponsors Desira Group who welcomed businesses to the exhibition with an outdoor display of their vehicles. As visitors began registering and queues built up to get inside, Norfolk Chambers CEO Chris Sargisson began judging the best stand award with guest judge and Norfolk Chambers President, Fiona Ryder. Our judges went around the exhibition spending time with all of our exhibitors, taking part in interactive activities and meeting top Norfolk businesses.  Although our judges encountered everything from puzzles, sweet treats and even puppies on stands, GGS were crowned winners of the best stand award 2019 with their fun and interactive photo booth – that they built and designed themselves! Our judges agreed that this not only allowed you to have a fun at the event, but it made visitors to the stand re-engage with GGS Norwich by having to visit their Facebook page to view the photos. The stand also showcased the work GGS do, with an exciting exhibition display, photography and the graphic design work. Photos from the photo booth can be found here. Chris Ball, Creative Director/Photographer at GGS said: “We always look forward to the Chamber of Commerce B2B exhibition as it is the only one we do on a regular basis, and, in fact, I think we have been at every one since it started. We love it that we can connect, face to face, with so many of our clients; many of whom we normally only deal with on the telephone, and that we have the opportunity to meet plenty of new people, too. The new venue was excellent. There was a real buzz about the place on the day and the increased ceiling height and roof space gave us the opportunity to be a little more creative with our stand this year. It’s always a challenge to come up with something a bit different and which will engage with and attract visitors. Previously it’s been cakes or a competition, or even a game; but this year’s Photo Booth was a real hit. Feedback was fabulous, and by only making the photos we took available next day on our Facebook page we managed to extend visitors’ engagement with us over a number of days after the event. And we were absolutely delighted that it won us ‘Best Stand’, too! Result!!” Throughout the exhibition we had 20 minute workshops taking place from Matt Sykes from Salescadence, Aimee Konieczny & Hayley Leech from Indigo Swan, Neil Foley of Business Growth Club, Kathy Ennis of Little Piggy and Eleanor Bougie-Smith of SocialB. Their expert workshops provided attendees with key takeaways covering customer service on social media to business boosting tips.  We were also delighted to have Ian Hacon of Energise.me leading on some speed networking sessions in the centre of the exhibition. This provided attendees with the chance to meet various businesses in quick, 1 minute chats before moving on to the next person. Ian gave our speed networkers some useful advice before they started each session, including the tip to tell the person something interesting they’ll remember, don’t just pitch. For 2019 we took a big leap from previous B2B exhibitions, with a new venue, new opportunities and much more happening both behind the scenes and on display. The B2B Exhibition will return to Norfolk Showground on Thursday 15th October 2020.  A big thank you goes to our sponsors and partners at this year’s event: Archant – Media Partners Desira Group – Outdoor Sponsors Birketts LLP – Bronze Sponsors Zing Insights – Feedback Partners

Norfolk County Council have released their latest economic report for July – September 2019 – Quarter 2. The report highlighted:

• Employment levels in Norfolk has increased and is at its highest levels since 2017
• Average weekly earnings in Norfolk have risen by 9% but are still lower than the national average
• A vertical farming company is considering moving into Norfolk – there is potential for 4 farms each employing up to 35 people
• Norwich Western Link preferred route announced.  The route will connect the Northern Broadway to the A47
• European Skills Funding call is currently open until 2 December.  It is aimed at enhancing equal access to lifelong learning and improving labour market relevance of education and training systems

For full details of the latest economic intelligence report click here.

Commenting on Saturday’s Parliamentary debate, Dr Adam Marshall, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said:

“While the parliamentary drama continues, in the real world businesses wait anxiously for a clear outcome.

“In the coming days the onus is on the government to answer the many questions businesses are posing on the Prime Minister’s deal – and its potential impact on trade, investment, communities and jobs. 

“At such a critical moment in the process, the government must give business an iron-clad guarantee that it will not seek to take the UK out of the EU without a deal on 31st October. Getting a Brexit deal is far more important than simply getting it done.

“Allowing the UK to slide toward a Halloween no-deal – whether by design or disarray – would be an act of economic and political negligence. As frustrating as it would be to many in business, a short extension to unlock a comprehensive solution and a smooth transition is still infinitely preferable to an overnight economic shock.”

Commenting on the announcement that the UK and EU negotiators have come to an agreement, Dr Adam Marshall of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said: 

“Business communities will recognise the huge efforts by UK and EU negotiators to reach an agreement. Understandably, many businesses will reserve judgment until they see the detail.   

“Businesses need a chance to analyse precisely what the terms of this agreement would mean for all aspects of their operations. This is particularly true for firms in and trading with Northern Ireland. As companies carefully consider the real-world implications, politicians must do the same. 

“Let’s not forget, we’ve been here before. There is still a long way to go before businesses can confidently plan for the future. Companies across the UK and around the world will be paying close attention to what happens next – and whether the deal agreed can secure parliamentary support. 

“For business, this deal may be the end of the beginning – but it is far from the beginning of the end of the Brexit process.”  

The EDP has recently released the exciting news of the finalist list for one of the biggest business awards in the county; Norfolk Business Awards. It’s great to see several of our members have been selected for a number of the categories, for the full awards list and finalists (click here). These awards highlight the hard work of the companies, and staff teams, as well as shining a light on our innovative businesses in Norfolk.  We wish everyone good luck in the next stage.

Our members who are finalists for 2019; • Best employer- Sponsored by Pure and Birketts Liftshare, MHA Larking Gowen • Director of the Year- Sponsored by Dipples Jewellers James Groves, Indigo Swan • Investing in Future Growth- Sponsored by Lovell The Maids Head Hotel • Large Business- Sponsored by City College The TaxAssist Direct Group • Small and Medium Business Face to Face Finance Indigo Swan R13 Recruitment

The winners of the overall awards and business of the year will be announced at the Gala dinner on Thursday 21 November, held at the Norfolk Showground, with James Nesbitt the international TV star hosting the event- not to be missed! So do keep an eye out for the winners over the next month. To read the full EDP article published in Wednesday 16 October edition, click here.