Over 100 Norfolk Chamber members gathered bright and early at Sprowston Manor on Thursday 6th July for the summer instalment of the Norwich Business Breakfast. The event, hosted by the Chamber’s Chief Executive, Chris Sargisson, opened with a fun networking game of ‘1 truth 1 lie’ in which delegates tested their bluffing skills before tucking into breakfast. After breakfast, it was all change, with delegates taking part in a safari move, enabling them to speak with others in the room and dish out their business cards. It was then time to hear from the morning’s guest speaker, Sarah West, Managing Director at Full Mix Marketing. In this engaging presentation, Sarah advised the audience on the differences between B2C and B2B marketing and how their business should use a full marketing mix to achieve results. You can watch the video of Sarah’s presentation here. After a Q & A session with Sarah, there was time for a final round of free networking before the event drew to a close. The next Norwich Business Breakfast and AGM takes place on Wednesday 4th October. For further information or to book your place click here.
Trade statistics show that UK businesses are missing out on duty waivers for their customers, negotiated by the UK Government in over 70 trade deals. Rules of Origin (RoO) can be complex, so join us to understand how to benefit from trade deal preferences, how to be more profitable and how to make your exports even more competitive.
This webinar is co-hosted with the DIT Export Support Service (ESS) who have been working across government departments to make RoO as easy to navigate as possible, despite their inherent complexities. HMRC RoO experts will offer their expertise in a Q&A session and attendees will have a chance to seek clarity on any pain points they might be encountering.
DIT Export Champions will share their personal experience with RoO during their export journeys. This is an opportunity for you to hear from other businesses on the tangible benefits that come from taking advantage of RoO preferences.
Finally, ESS will be there to signpost attendees to new business resources and explain how they can be fully utilised.
There are only a few days left to nominate your business, favourite retailer or pub for our 2023 Business Awards, sponsored by Big Sky Living.
These awards recognise and celebrate the amazing array of successful businesses in both Broadland and South Norfolk District.
Businesses are be invited to nominate themselves for an award in any of the 11 categories and residents can support their favourite pub or shop by voting for them as ‘Retailer of the Year’ and ‘Pub of the Year’. By voting for your favourite pub or shop you’ll have the chance to win £100 of shopping vouchers and £100 of pub vouchers in our prize draws.
This year’s categories are:
Business Collaboration, sponsored by Pasta Foods
Business Growth, sponsored by Hethel Innovation
Business Innovation, sponsored by Panel Graphic
Business Resilience, sponsored by Mirus
Business Supporting the Community, sponsored by InTouch Systems
Employer of the Year, sponsored by Jarrold Training
Environmental Innovation, sponsored by University of East Anglia
Excellence in Agriculture, Food and Drink, sponsored by Woodforde’s Brewery
Excellence in Financial Services and Insurance, sponsored by fignorwich (Financial Industry Group)
New Business, sponsored by CNC Building Control
Visitor Experience, sponsored by Adnams
Broadland Pub of the Year and South Norfolk Pub of the Year, sponsored by Pub is The Hub – open for public nomination only
Broadland Retailer of the Year and South Norfolk Retailer of the Year, sponsored by Big Sky Living – open for public nomination only
Nominations close next Monday 12th December and winners will be announced on 7th March at an awards event at Norwich City Football Club.
Reacting to the ONS GDP figures for October, Nova Fairbank, CEO at Norfolk Chambers of Commerce, said:
“The monthly growth in GDP for October of 0.5% is overshadowed by the underlying three-month trend revealed by the data, which shows a contraction in the economy of 0.3%.
“As September’s figure was depressed by the Bank Holiday for the Queen’s funeral, October’s data was always likely to show a comparative improvement.
“But the BCC’s latest quarterly economic forecast expects the UK economy to be in recession for five consecutive quarters.
“Business confidence has been falling dramatically as firms face into a wall of higher prices and energy bills, increased taxation, and rising borrowing costs.
“Unless the Government helps create a stable environment to allow businesses to invest, Norfolk faces a long-term loss of competitiveness.
“Businesses need to see concrete action to resolve the immediate disruptions facing our economy, such as soaring energy costs and the burdens in our trading relationship with Europe.
Nova also said, “Norfolk also needs to see a long-term plan on infrastructure, skills, trade, and green innovation – topics we will be discussing at our upcoming event, The Big Debate on Friday February 10th.”
As reported last week (Support grows for EU-Japan deal), a fair wind was growing behind the proposed EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement/Free Trade Agreement (EPA/FTA).
Now the two sides have reached an “agreement in principle” on the main elements of an EPA, described by the European Commission as the most important bilateral trade agreement ever concluded by the EU.
As such, for the first time, a specific commitment to the Paris climate agreement has been included.
For the EU Member States, the new agreement will remove the vast majority of duties paid by their companies, which add up to €1 billion annually, open the Japanese market to key EU agricultural exports and increase opportunities in a range of sectors.
The EPA sets the highest standards of labour, safety, environmental and consumer protection, fully safeguards public services and has a dedicated chapter on sustainable development, the Commission has pointed out.
EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström said that it demonstrated that the EU and Japan, democratic and open global partners, believe in free trade.
Among other provisions, the agreement scraps duties on many cheeses such as Gouda and Cheddar (which currently stand at 29.8%) as well as on wine exports (currently at 15% on average).
“Based on today’s agreement in principle,” the Commission explained, “negotiators from both sides will continue their work to resolve all the remaining technical issues and conclude a final text of the agreement by the end of the year.”
Reacting to the ONS GDP figures for November, David Bharier, Head of Research at the BCC, said:
“Today’s GDP figures for November provide further evidence that UK economic growth is heading in the wrong direction, despite this period normally being among the busiest for the retail sector.
“While month-on-month GDP grew by 0.1%, this is a volatile measure. The three-month average, standing at –0.3%, sends a clearer signal of the current trajectory of the economy.
“Unprecedented energy costs, new trade barriers with the EU, and lasting damage caused by Covid lockdowns have created the hardest trading conditions for small businesses in recent history.
“Our latest Quarterly Economic Forecast expects five consecutive quarters of recession lasting until the end of 2023, and our most recent business survey points to significant falls in longer-term business confidence.
“To get back to growth in the long-term, firms will need to see the removal of trade barriers, particularly with the EU, investment in public infrastructure, and measures to improve their access to appropriately skilled staff.”
Reacting to the publication of the Net Zero Review by Chris Skidmore MP, Alex Veitch Director of Policy & Public Affairs at the BCC said:
“The review published by Chris Skidmore MP is a significant document and provides us with a substantive overview of the progress to date on meeting the UK’s Net Zero ambition.
“Importantly, it includes recommendations on what must be done. Many of these measures are pragmatic and realistic, which will be welcomed by businesses.
“The British Chambers of Commerce has long campaigned for the Government to provide SMEs with energy saving support and advice. It is good to see this action included in today’s report.
“We also welcome the focus on the importance of decentralised decision making in the fight against climate change. More and more Net Zero action will have to take place locally and regionally over the coming years. This report emphasises how power must be put into the hands of local communities in order to achieve our 2050 target.
“Chambers of Commerce across the UK were heavily involved in COP26, and they are proud of the role they are playing in making the UK a world leader in environmental sustainability. This review stresses the importance of retaining our global standing and Chambers of Commerce will continue to work hard to ensure the UK is a global pioneer in green innovation, technology and enterprise.
“There remains a long way to go. For example, the report acknowledges pressures on SMEs to move to Net Zero, but more ambitious tax incentives than those proposed, and additional funding support, will be required to help address this.
“We will be continuing to work with Government to ensure we meet the UK’s Net Zero target, and ensure businesses reap the many benefits along the way.”
Find our more about the Norfolk Chambers of Commerce Business Climate Leaders here
On Thursday 25th May over 100 Norfolk Chamber members joined us at Caistor Hall for a morning of networking with a delicious breakfast and a presentation from Charlie Gauvain, Managing Director at Eye Film.
Jonathan Cage, President of Norfolk Chamber, hosted the morning. Members started off the morning with an ice breaker game of ‘Business Bingo’. This involved the guests deciding among them who fulfilled 9 statements on a bingo sheet, from personal to business facts. The members where then invited to take part in Safari Move, in order to meet and talk with new members. A delicious breakfast was then served and members got a chance to speak to the people they were sat with.
To introduce more networking before we had Charlie’s presentation, we had a ‘Guess the Advert’ quiz, where guests worked in teams to guess which brand was behind some notorious adverts in order to highlight the influence of stand-out video advertising.
Charlie Gauvain then took to the floor to emphasise the importance of an effective video strategy for your business. He suggested that it isn’t always necessary to hire a professional to create video marketing and gave some hints and tips for the business members present about how they could create their own material. He also explained when the best time to call in a professional might be. A few of the guests engaged in a practical demonstration of how best to film video testimonials, and the common pitfalls to avoid.
Following Charlie’s presentation, Jonathan started a Q&A between the delegates and Charlie to help them get a better understanding of how they can use these tips within their own businesses. After this had finished many delegates stayed and networked with their existing contacts and also the new ones they had made that day.
Trade statistics show that UK businesses are missing out on duty waivers for their customers, negotiated by the UK Government in over 70 trade deals. Rules of Origin (RoO) can be complex, so join us to understand how to benefit from trade deal preferences, how to be more profitable and how to make your exports even more competitive.
This webinar is co-hosted with the DIT Export Support Service (ESS) who have been working across government departments to make RoO as easy to navigate as possible, despite their inherent complexities. HMRC RoO experts will offer their expertise in a Q&A session and attendees will have a chance to seek clarity on any pain points they might be encountering.
DIT Export Champions will share their personal experience with RoO during their export journeys. This is an opportunity for you to hear from other businesses on the tangible benefits that come from taking advantage of RoO preferences.
Finally, ESS will be there to signpost attendees to new business resources and explain how they can be fully utilised.
The permanent closure of the B1149 Holt Road south of Horsford has been brought forward to Wednesday 9 August after BT Openreach announced earlier dates for moving their fibre optic cables. The closure had been put back until late August after BT said diversion of the cables would not begin until after the World Athletics Championships (4-13 August). However, that work has now been rescheduled by BT to start on 31 July. This will allow more of the complex final phase in constructing the major A140 Cromer Road/A1270 NDR junction to be carried out in the school summer holidays. Altogether, it is expected to take around three months to complete the junction. B1149 Holt Road diversion
After the closure of Holt Road on 9 August, all B1149 traffic will be diverted via New Drayton Lane – opened last week – on to Reepham Road. This diversion will remain in place until traffic can use the NDR dual carriageway and A140 junction, or part of it, to restore access to the A140*. The diversion will put pressure on roads through Hellesdon, Drayton and on Church Street, Horsford, for an extended period. Norfolk County Council and Balfour Beatty apologise for the unavoidable disruption to normal travel.
Reacting to the ONS Trade figures for November, William Bain, Head of Trade Policy at the BCC, said:
“UK trade performance improved in November, led by a 6.1% increase in goods imports (adjusted for inflation). Goods exports also picked up, rising by 1.7%, but concerns about the impact of the Brexit deal continue – due to a 1.2% fall in goods exports to the EU.
“Early estimates of trade in services in November showed a flat picture – with exports down by 0.2%, and imports by 0.6%, adjusted for inflation.
“Looking at a comparison over the three months to the end of November with the three months to the end of August, goods exports to the EU were 4.9% lower over that period.
“While the UK did better than its peers in overall trade in November, the Export Strategy needs to deliver in 2023 given the global economic headwinds UK goods and services exports are currently facing.”
Detailed analysis of data:
Goods Imports
In November 2022, UK goods imports rose by 6.1% after removing effects of inflation (values were 3.5% less before this removal). The rise in goods imports from the EU was led by higher machinery and transport equipment imports (ship imports from Finland were particularly noteworthy). Non-EU goods imports were boosted by higher sales of cars from China and aircraft from the US. Fuel imports from Qatar and Norway continued to fall in November.
Goods Exports
Falls in EU goods exports values were driven by lower sales of fuels for the fourth consecutive month. The rise in non-EU goods export values was largely down to increases in machinery and transport equipment sales, including aircraft to Qatar and motor vehicles to the US and China.
Services
On services, excluding inflation, imports fell to £17.8bn in November and exports to £29.5bn – a reduction of 0.6% and 0.2% respectively from October.
Three-month trend
Looking at the 3 months to the end of November, total UK goods imports from both the EU and outside the EU fell by 3.2%, compared with the 3 months to end of August. The fall in EU goods exports over that period was 4.9%. Over the same timescale overall goods exports fell by 1.5%.
The services picture was better with a rise of 2.0% in exports over that period offset by a 1.2% decline in imports. Total trade values over that period increased by 0.3% in exports but were 2.6% lower in imports.
Trade Deficit
Excluding inflationary factors, the total trade deficit narrowed by £3.8bn in the three months to the end of November.
Nova Fairbank, Chief Executive | Norfolk Chambers of Commerce
“We are so pleased to welcome such an experienced and knowledgeable group of business and education leaders to our LSIP Board. The LSIP is a fantastic opportunity to bring employers and providers closer together and, through greater collaboration, make a difference to the local skills agenda for Norfolk and Suffolk.”
John Dugmore, Chief Executive | Suffolk Chambers of Commerce
“Suffolk Chamber of Commerce has been involved in shaping the LSIP programme for nearly two years, so this first Norfolk & Suffolk LSIP board meeting represents an important milestone in embedding the business voice into future skills planning cross the two counties.”
Dean Pierpoint, Project Manager | Norfolk Chambers of Commerce
“After many weeks of planning and discussion it was great to get the first Board meeting in the diary. I am sure with the breadth of knowledge on skills from education providers and public sector organisations as well as input from the business community we will be able to shape the local skills improvement plan to have a positive effect on the skills landscape in the region. The team are now looking forward to engaging with the business community for their views on skills!”
