Chamber News

Norfolk Chamber as you’ve never seen it before…

We are changing and moving forward with a new voice and a new mission. The Norfolk Chamber of Commerce is evolving to become the ‘Norfolk Chambers of Commerce.’ With our new mission of ‘Connecting, supporting and giving voice to every business in Norfolk’- we are reaching beyond our previous boundaries, striving forward, to ensure that we connect and give voice to all businesses, in Norfolk and beyond.

Our new name, ‘Chambers’ and a fresh brand echoes an organisation with a rich heritage of serving the business community for over 122 years and now also encompasses the modern businesses of today, tomorrow, and the future.

We are Chambers that engages the whole of Norfolk: from West Norfolk to North Norfolk; from Breckland, to Broadland; from Great Yarmouth, to South Norfolk; and the whole of Greater Norwich. This is why the change in our name is so important, we want to include everyone.

Chris Sargisson, CEO of Norfolk Chambers of Commerce, said: “One of our roles is to make sure that we’re fundamentally supporting every single business element in the region, rather than just a few. So, moving to Chambers is a way that we can actually start to indicate how we are understanding now unique each region of Norfolk actually is, whilst acknowledging that there are many areas of common ground that we can all work together on.”

What does your new Chambers look like?

We are here to bring people together, to share knowledge, whilst ensuring that we understand your business needs and the challenges of doing business. We can then ensure that we effectively influence and lobby the policymakers on your behalf. Being sure to get the Norfolk business voice heard loud and clear, to help support the economic growth of our region.

In 2018, we accomplished lots of work behind the scenes – such as talking to our members, and non-members about their perception of what the Chambers is and what it should be. These conversations have helped us to form and shape our mission and to grow into the forward-thinking organisation we are today.  For example, did you know that we offer a whole range of international services and that we are involved in getting the business voice heard on skills, infrastructure and business rates both regionally and nationally?  With over 900 members, who have businesses of all shapes and sizes, and it’s important that they know and understand how our Chambers can help them. We are here to change this!

Part of this change has involved the creation of a new Customer Experience Team to support you and your business. To build your network and to work in partnership with you to help resolve some of the challenges you face. Our team will be working across the county, in both the city, the main towns, the market towns and the rural locations.  We are already doing some great work in West Norfolk, where we have several networking events to support the local business communities to share their skills and knowledge.

What’s coming next

In time, you will see a new Digital Platform to support our members to get the most out of their membership, this will involve a tailored networking account, with informed and innovative information. Chris Sargisson, CEO of Norfolk Chambers of Commerce, “When you log in, your account is engineered to be able to provide you with some real beneficial insight along the lines of, ‘If you go to one networking group this week- it’s this one, because actually, they’re talking about a subject that I know that you’re interested in.’  It might not have anything to do with the Chambers of Commerce, but that’s fine.  The same with reading one article, or if you listen to one podcast, and so the conversation continues.”

Our printed magazine ‘Norfolk Voice‘ is now moving towards the Digital Platform under the same name ‘Norfolk’s Voice.’ And will now have a whole host of interactive features including; videos, blogs, podcasts, member news, specialist subject/knowledge articles and an opportunity to showcase the best of business thought-leadership articles, and companies as well as the opportunity for sponsorship and advertisement too. In time there will be a printed edition to support this content.

Chris Sargisson, CEO of Norfolk Chambers of Commerce, “So, we’re taking the Norfolk voice concept, the magazine concept, and we’re opening it up as a very wide digital channel over the next two to three years, that will gain more and more momentum for every business in Norfolk, that’ll help us achieve that ‘Every’ element so it ties in. And then the second element is to move away from the concept of having a website where you go and you trawl through and you find things, to actually having a very interactive platform.”

From now onwards you will see our new brand rolling out over our various media channels, with our big launch happening at The Royal Norfolk Show, this June. Watch this space.

The percentage of both manufacturing and services exporters who are expecting to increase their prices has risen in the past three months, as international traders struggle with the value of the pound and pressure from the cost of raw materials and other overheads, according to the latest Quarterly International Trade Outlook from the British Chambers of Commerce, in partnership with DHL.

The report, based on a survey of over 2,600 exporters, and export documentation data, shows that nearly half (49%) of manufacturers and 39% of services companies plan to raise their prices, up from 41% and 34% respectively.

Exchange rates continues to weigh heavily on the minds of businesses, with 69% of manufacturers citing it as a source of concern. Weaker sterling is also pushing the cost of raw materials up for exporters, with 84% saying that they are a source of pressure driving prices. For services, other overheads such as office rents is the leading source of price pressure (59%).

Elsewhere, the BCC/DHL Trade Confidence Index, which measures the volume of trade documents issued by Accredited Chamber of Commerce for goods shipments outside the EU rose by 4.06% on the quarter, and stood 1.03% higher than in the same time last year.

Despite these issues, however, many exporters remain bullish – 57% of both manufacturing and services exporters say that their turnover will improve in the next 12 months.

The survey results indicate the impact of Brexit uncertainty and wider global trade trends but also highlight issues in the domestic environment that are barriers to growth for UK exporters. With the UK’s departure from the EU becoming a vacuum for all of government’s resources and attention, the growing skills shortages show no sign of abating. The majority of recruiting businesses in both sectors struggled to find the skills they needed in the last quarter.

The leading business group is calling for an end to the Brexit logjam that has prevented parliament from finding consensus on the way forward and consumed all of Westminster’s attention. Government must provide long-awaited clarity on future trading conditions and then refocus on the fundamentals of the domestic economy to boost stability and confidence.

Nova Fairbank, Head of Policy at Norfolk Chamber said:

“These are uneasy time for many exporters concerned by persistent uncertainty around Brexit and future terms of trade with key partners. As we approach 29 March, so many questions remain unanswered and with the unwanted possibility of no deal still looming, businesses are preparing the possibility of increased volatility.

“At a time when all of the cogs of government seem to be jammed by Brexit, issues crucial to the UK’s competitiveness and productivity have gone ignored. Business communities continue to shout about the scale of labour shortages, with four-in-five manufacturers reporting recruitment difficulties. Yet there has been little action relating to improvements in the UK’s training or skills system, nor has the government’s immigration blueprint delivered on calls for a system to provide easy access to skills at all levels.

“The government must urgently deliver clarity on the UK’s future after March 2019, and then immediately refocus on the fundamentals of the domestic environment. Removing barriers to growth at home is more important than ever at a time of such uncertainty and transition for our business communities.”

Shannon Diett, VP of Marketing at DHL Express, said:

 “The increased trade confidence index, rising 4% on Q3 2018, indicates that despite the many difficulties, the resilience of British business remains, although businesses face pressure. This is in opposition to the Q3 results, which showed a decline on the previous quarter. There is also a very slight improvement year on year with an increase of 1% on Q4 2017. As the trade confidence index is a measure of trade outside of Europe, this indicates increased trade beyond the borders of the EU. We would encourage businesses to continue looking beyond Europe for opportunities, and ask the government to ensure trade deals are in place post Brexit to enable this successful trade to smoothly continue.

“The uncertain conditions have only increased as we moved into the first quarter of 2019. The lack of clarity is causing businesses to move into no-deal Brexit scenario preparations, which adds considerable additional cost to business. The impact this is having on businesses trading internationally should not be underestimated, especially when considered alongside the rising pressure of poor sterling exchange rates driving up prices, as reported in this outlook. Almost half (49%) of exporting manufacturers and 39% of exporting services firms expect their prices to rise, which is an increase on the previous quarter. A considerable 84% of manufacturers are experiencing price pressure due to the weaker pound pushing up prices. Resilience drives these businesses forward despite the considerable pressures, and we stand alongside them in seeking the clarity and resolution we all need surrounding Brexit. An end to the uncertainty is urgently needed to allow businesses to move forward and continue to compete on the worldwide stage.”

Key findings from the report:

• 37% of manufacturers and 29% of services saw an increase in export orders in the last three months, a slight pick-up from 35% and 24% respectively
• 18% of manufacturers and 15% of services sector firms saw a decrease in orders
• 69% of manufacturers and 49% of service firms are more concerned about exchange rates than the previous quarter
• 80% of manufacturers and 73% of services firms who attempted to recruit, struggled to find the right staff. This is up from the 76% seen in Q2 for manufacturers and 69% for services
• 84% of manufacturers cite the cost of raw materials as a leading source of price pressure, while 59% of services firms cite ‘other overheads’, away from raw materials, finance costs, and pay settlements
• 57% of both services and manufacturing exporters expect turnover to increase in the next 12 months
• The BCC/DHL Trade Confidence Index, a measure of the volume of trade documentation issued nationally, rose by 4.06% on the quarter and stood at the fifth highest level on record.

The results from Quarter 4 revealed a stalling economy that was being impacted by continued levels of uncertainty.  Growth in domestic sales and orders reduced and firms faced recruitment difficulties continued and persistent price pressures.  In the services sector, a key driver of UK economic growth, the percentage of firms reporting an increase in domestic sales and orders weakened and domestic activity among UK manufacturers fell drastically.

In Norfolk nearly four-fifths (79%) of manufacturers that tried to recruit reported difficulties in finding the right staff, whilst 74% Norfolk of the services sector also reported that they were struggling to recruit.  The previous survey results indicated an increase in price pressures and an increase is the number of manufacturers expecting to raise prices. 

Now in the first Quarter of 2019, with the Brexit deadline fast approaching – we need to understand how Norfolk businesses are reacting to the current economic climate.  Today (Monday 18 February 2019) is the first day of the fieldwork period for the Q1 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 11 March 2019.  The Q1 results will be published week commencing 01 April 2019.

Key Norfolk findings in the Q4 2018 survey:

Norfolk Manufacturing sector:

• The balance of firms reporting increased domestic sales fell drastically and those reporting improved domestic orders also fell
• The balance of firms reporting improved export sales rose several points from +38 to +43, while the balance of those reporting improved export orders rose from +27 to +43
• The balance of firms expecting to raise prices in the next three months stands at +53, up from +40 in Q3
• The percentage of firms citing the cost of raw materials as the source of cost pressures continued its upwards trend from the last quarter, now at 94%, the highest since Q2 2013
• The percentage of firms attempting to recruit remained fairly static – moving upwards by only one point to 74%. Of those, 79% reported recruitment difficulties

Norfolk Services sector:

• The balance of firms reporting increased domestic sales rose.  Those reporting improved domestic orders also rose slightly
• The balance of firms reporting improved export sales fell drastically from the previous quarter of +14 to -5, while those reporting improved export orders also fell from +10 to -9
• The balance of firms expecting to increase prices in the next three months stands at +38, down slightly from +42 in Q3
• The percentage of firms looking to recruit dipped from +73 to +70.Of those, 76% had recruitment difficulties, down slightly from a high of 84% in the previous quarter

With the recent success of being recognised as the UK’s first sharing city, Norwich is clearly doing all the right things to put our city and county on the map as a collaborative economy. We join other global cities such as New York, Barcelona, Athens, Dallas and Singapore. Supported by Norwich Business Improvement District (BID) and Norwich City Council, Norwich’s focus is six key areas as a sharing city are;

·         Economics Growth

·         Convenience and Efficiency

·         Sustainability

·         Digital Inclusion

·         Global Recognition

What is a sharing city? This whole movement has come about from the increased pressure on our worlds resources and the challenges we all face to maintain a thriving community with a decreasing impact on the environment. In many ways, we are returning to the traditional basic principle of ‘sharing,’ but with a 21st approach.

Norwich has a number of companies that work on sharing initiatives and are leading the way with their businesses, for example, Liftshare, Norwich Farmshare, and Inlet. The Chambers is really pleased to be a sharing partner. If you want to know more and celebrate Norwich’s success there is a conference coming up on Thursday 28th February 2019, come along and celebrate this great achievement. https://bit.ly/2DQt9aZ

Check out the Norwich Sharing City website for the full information. https://norwichsharingcity.co.uk/

The Big Debate

On Friday 8th February, with almost a year in behind the scenes planning, a windswept, blustery afternoon saw the opening of our high profile event, The Big Debate 2019.

The event was held at OPEN on Bank Plain, Norwich, ran from and was fully booked with over a 100 delegates leaving standing room only.

Thanks to our sponsors, Greater Anglian and to our Host Shaun Lowthorpe, Content Connective.

Shaun is a freelance writer and the owner of Content Connective specialising in business case studies and communications for brands and publishers. He was Business Editor at the EDP where he worked as a journalist for 16 years overseeing daily business coverage, the EDP Business Awards, Future 50, East Anglian Farming World, and Mustard TV’s Business Extra programme so was a perfect fit for hosting our event.

Aimed at discussing and debating the most pressing issues that our region is facing, Chamber members were given the opportunity to question an outstanding panel consisting of five Norfolk MP’s, Council members, New Anglia LEP, and local business leaders.

With every chair taken, delegates from industries and businesses across Norfolk came together to discuss topics ranging from the ever-present Brexit, education, diversity within Norfolk and perceptions of our county.

The Chamber identified topics that were forefront to the business community. Questions were uploaded live to a backdrop behind the panel and guests were able to see which topics were important to other members, creating an engaging and thoughtful debate.

The afternoon consisted of four debates, each with a mix of panellists;

Skills/Education

Stuart Rimmer, Chief Executive, East Coast College George Freeman, MP for Mid Norfolk Norman Lamb, MP for North Norfolk Chloe Smith, MP for Norwich North

Place/Perception

Tom McCabe, Executive Director of Community & Environmental Services, Norfolk County Services Jeanette Wheeler, Partner, Birketts LLP Julian Munson, Head of Enterprise Zones and innovation, New Anglia LEP Rebecca Lewis Smith, Managing Director, Fountain Partnership Sir Henry Bellingham, MP for North West Norfolk

Diversity

Jeanette Wheeler, Partner, Birketts LLP Fiona Ryder, Managing Director, TCD Media Chloe Smith, MP for Norwich North Clive Lewis, MP for Norwich South

Brexit Debate

Chloe Smith, MP for Norwich North Chris Starkie, Chief Executive, New Anglia LEP Sir Henry Bellingham, MP for North West Norfolk Clare Hedges, Senior Associate – Head of immigration Team, Birketts LLP George Freeman, MP for Mid Norfolk Clive Lewis, MP for Norwich South

Our Host Shaun Lowthorpe expertly directed the constant fire of questions to the panel and the discussions were energetic, dynamic and lively.

The Brexit debate had possibly the shortest and the most poignant question of the day to be asked in the final debate, ‘What is Brexit?’.

Whilst it raised a smile with the audience, it was a discussion that led to serious points – Clive Lewis MP talked about one of his constituents experiencing more racism since Britain voted for Brexit, and that he fears the decision to leave may be seen by some as a sign that it is acceptable to have divisive views.

The event whilst debating relevant and serious issues concerning Norfolk both now, and in the months to come, was closed with a cross-section of opinions and viewpoints coming together in an atmosphere of positivity and energy going forward into 2019. 

On Monday 11 February Norfolk Chamber of Commerce presented three charities based in King’s Lynn with £3,440 in total donations from a charity event last year.

In November last year, Norfolk Chamber of Commerce held their annual West Norfolk President’s Charity Dinner at the Town Hall in King’s Lynn.

The black-tie event was held in aid of the Mayor of King’s Lynn, Nick Daubney’s favoured charity, The Purfleet Trust, as well Festival Too and King’s Lynn Night Shelter.

Over 60 local business people attended the event and were privileged to hear from the guest speaker, Sir Ranulph Fiennes, explorer, fundraiser, author and public speaker.

Local businesses donated some amazing raffle prizes and on the night, the raffle alone raised £560 for the nominated charities.  The total of the money raised is still being finalised, but is expected to exceed £2,500.

The West Norfolk President, Michael Baldwin presented the three charities with cheques last Monday. 

A very big welcome to our new staff member Haze Carver, who joins the Customer Experience Team.

Some of you might have met Haze on Friday at the Big Debate and no doubt you will get a chance to meet her soon! Haze joins us from Anglian Home Improvements where she was the Events Marketing Executive but comes from the Creative background of Design and Publishing.  

We are delighted to have her on our team! 

Thursday, March 28th 2019 is an unmissable event for you and your business.

You will be joining a high-level audience of business decision-makers, policymakers and the Chamber network so ensure you book your place and join us at the QEII Centre in London for The British Chambers of Commerce Annual Conference.

As Britain’s’ biggest and best ‘B2P’ – business to politicians – event,  It is a fantastic opportunity to be part of this inspirational day, with stimulating panel debates and keynote speeches from senior politicians, business leaders and opinion formers.

Three key themes will be the primary focus of the day; Innovation, People and Infrastructure.

The programme for the 2019 Annual Conference will focus on the topics most relevant to UK businesses, providing insight into these issues through panel discussions, keynote speeches and giving you the opportunity to meet with businesses from all sectors and sizes from across the UK.

Further speakers will be announced in the coming weeks including high profile politicians and commentators from the world of business and media, but the confirmed list are as follows:

• Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London
• Rt Hon Sir Keir Starmer, Shadow Brexit Secretary
• Will Gardiner, CEO, Drax Group plc
• Martin Griffiths, CEO, Stagecoach Group
• Alison Rose, CEO, Commercial and Private Banking, Royal Bank of Scotland
• Nigel Wilson: CEO, Legal & General
• Pawel Adrjan: UK Economist, Indeed

Economic changes

With Brexit approaching, the UK has to do its utmost to fix the fundamentals of the domestic business environment, or it will not be in as strong a position economically as it could be.

There is a need to focus on innovation in industry, developing the leading products and services for the UK and global markets.

The economy is changing and becoming more technologically advanced, and the workforce is demanding increased flexibility. The Conference is going to analyse these trends and discuss how the UK can move forward to meet the challenges that tomorrow may bring.

We are positive you will see this is a must-attend event and such an exceptional opportunity to network with hundreds of like-minded businesses from around the UK.

Book your tickets before 15th February 2019 for this must-attend event for you and your business with our early bird Chamber rate of £129 + VAT.

 We look forward to seeing you on the day! 

Lynsey Sweales, CEO of SocialB has been appointed as Joint Vice President of Norfolk Chamber of Commerce. She joins Fiona Ryder from TCD Media, President of Norfolk Chamber of Commerce and Paul McCarthy, General Manager of Intu Chapelfield, who has been a Joint Vice President since October 2017.

Commenting on her appointment to Joint Vice President, Lynsey said: ‘It’s an absolute honour to be representing and promoting our amazing county.  Norfolk is a real gem in the UK’s crown which when you scratch just below the surface there are a plethora of businesses doing amazing thing locally, nationally and internationally. I believe Associations & Membership organisations are a critical part of business success in the UK, it’s important to me to help organisations to thrive in our county while keeping abreast of the overall UK industrial strategy for growth.”  Lynsey Sweales, CEO of international digital agency SocialB (who have offices across the UK including Norwich).

A very warm welcome to Lynsey from all of us at the Chamber, and we are delighted to work with her over her term as our Vice President.

Commenting on reports that the Cabinet is considering options around making imports tariff-free across the board if we leave the EU next month without a deal, Adam Marshall, Director General of British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said:

“Businesses across the UK will be deeply concerned by reports that ministers are considering setting UK import tariffs to zero in the case of no-deal. 

“Ministers have not consulted with business on removing tariffs. They have shown no clear understanding of the damage that such a move could cause to key parts of the economy, including manufacturing and agricultural firms across the UK. They have no plan to support the industries, places and people who would be affected overnight by these proposed changes, and no time left to prepare.

“A snap decision to move to zero tariffs speedily and unilaterally would harm domestic producers and exporters, and create a huge new source of extra uncertainty for business communities at an already difficult time. Some UK businesses would lose market share very quickly, and find themselves facing imminent threats to their survival.

“In addition to the real-life impacts of such a move, businesses will also be anxious at the thought of the UK government ceding one of its levers for trade negotiations with other countries, before it even gets started.

“Decisions of this scale and consequence should only be taken after deep engagement with those most likely to be affected, and must take into account the potential long-term impacts on both trade and inward investment. None of this has happened.”

Suren Thiru, Head of Economics and Business Finance at the BCC, added:

“While eliminating some de minimis tariffs may not impact on the competitiveness of some businesses, others would risk being decimated overnight. It makes it hard to see how the UK can build up tariffs from a zero base when there would be little incentive for other countries to negotiate.

“If the aim is to keep prices down for consumers should the UK leave without a deal, then analysis has shown that unilaterally reducing tariffs to zero would have little impact. Instead you risk losing businesses, and therefore jobs, in some sectors across the country, as firms find themselves priced out of being competitive overnight. In short, nobody wins.”

Local businesses joined Norfolk Chamber Great Yarmouth Borough Council and New Anglia LEP to consider the potential impact of Brexit and discuss what our region could look like post-Brexit.

Mike Spicer, the Policy Director for the British Chambers of Commerce provided an update on Brexit and also took part in a panel discussion on the potential impacts of Brexit, together with Paul Briddon, a Partner at Lovewell Blake and Nigel Best, the Growth Hub Manager from New Anglia LEP.

The discussions highlighted that many businesses have yet to prepare for Brexit.  Businesses should be aware of the potential risks to their business and have some idea of how they will mitigate them. 

It also became clear that businesses needed to have a good look at their supply chain – whilst their Tier 1 suppliers may be UK based; consideration needed to be given to Tier 2 and beyond.  An easy way to consider their preparation for Brexit would be to use the free Chamber’s Business Brexit Checklist. 

The Businesses were also asked to consider their future plans and what support they might need access to.   Plans included recruitment and upskilling of staff; access to funding and grants to innovate their businesses; and the need to positively promote the region.

On the very cold morning of February 1st we hosted the first 2019 breakfast in King’s Lynn.

We greeted many local businesses at Knights Hill Hotel for a morning of networking and an inspirational talk delivered by the very unique Richard Finney, owner of Captain Fawcett.

He not only captured the audience with his brilliant speech but also left the room talking about his amazing story on how Captain Fawcett got started.

Which is pretty perfect given that his speech was about ‘staying loyal to your brand’ and the importance of ensuring your brand has a story; something that your customer will remember.

We had two stand holders on the morning; EACH – our feature charity and Mark Wright from LinkedIn Strategy, Marketing and Training

Join us at our next event: The Big Debate held at OPEN in Norwich to engage with Norfolk MPs as well as local businesses.The event will focus on four topics; place/perception of our county, diversity, education and of course, Brexit. These topics have been identified by Norfolk Chamber as key to the business community right now.