The ‘Norfolk Business Brexit Sounding Board’ is a Norfolk County Council forum for Norfolk businesses to raise and discuss issues impacting on them as a result of Brexit.
It works in collaboration with partners including Norfolk Chamber, Norwich Airport, the FSB, CBI, University of East Anglia and some well-known local businesses such as: Kettle Foods, Lovewell Blake, Birketts, Saxon Air and Regional Freight.
Following the publication of the Withdrawal Agreement, the Brexit Sounding Board wants to understand how the local business community is feeling now. We would like you to take part in a short survey – it only takes a few minutes and your responses will help form the basis of the discussions for Brexit Sounding Board going forwards.
UK trade deficit in goods and services was £3.1bn in March, down from £3.4bn in February
Value of UK exports rose by 3.5% between February and March, while imports rose by 2.6% in the same period
Commenting on the UK trade figures for March 2013, published today by the ONS, David Kern, Chief Economist at the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) said:
“While it is pleasing to see an upturn in exports in March, Britain’s trade deficit remains disappointingly large. It is clear that we are not making enough progress in rebalancing the economy towards net exports. The figures also highlight the need to make further inroads into faster-growing regions across the rest of the world, while the eurozone, our biggest trading partner, continues to struggle.
“More action is needed to utilise the untapped potential of many British exporters, particularly in the services sector, so that businesses can drive a sustainable recovery. The government must implement measures it has previously announced to support firms looking to break into new markets. In addition, we clearly need a national export strategy focusing on key areas such as trade finance, insurance, and promotion, to enable companies to compete on equitable terms.”
Tracey Howard, International Trade Direct at the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce said:
“More and more businesses are now realising the importance of international trade, so in my opinion, this year will see an increase in businesses starting to trade with new markets.
The Global Marketplace series of events that we organised during 2012/13, were attended by delegates who have never been to our events before, and they were very keen to start trading in the countries that we were highlighting.
This year we will be taking a closer look at the business opportunities in more high growth countries: India, Brazil, Qatar, Russia, South Africa and Vietnam. Exporting to these countries will help businesses flourish financially, which in turn will help to lower Britain’s trade deficit.”
The Chamber Business Awards recognises and celebrates the success of UK businesses across the country. Entries from Aberdeen to Cornwall flock in from organisations of all sizes and sectors. Rewind back to September when the regional finalists were announced, and five Norfolk businesses won awards in six categories out of a possible seven in the Eastern region. Our winners were:
Fast forward to Thursday 29th November, regional winning businesses and Chambers across the country gather at Tobacco Dock, London to compete for the national titles. The evening got into full swing when host Jenni Falconer began announcing the winners, and we had our fingers and toes crossed for our finalists. It was a great result for Norfolk businesses as two were crowned runner-up in their categories. They were:
Larking Gowen LLP, National Runner Up in the Workplace Wellbeing Award
Liftshare, National Runner Up in the Employer of the Year Award
As the awards continued and there were just two left to announce, we were feeling proud of the achievements of our finalists so far… and then we had a winner!!
Gnaw Chocolate took home the national title of Small Business of the Year 2018 – sponsored by Facebook!
From more than 750 applicants, to regional heats, we are so pleased for their hardworking team and we couldn’t be prouder of the achievement of Gnaw Chocolate. We hope you’ll join us in sending congratulations to them, and to all our finalists for flying the flag for Norfolk.
On congratulating Gnaw Chocolate, Chris Sargisson, Chief Executive of Norfolk Chamber said:
“Gnaw Chocolate is a fantastic example of what a small business can achieve. This award is a testament to their passion and quality. It’s great to see a Norfolk company blazing the trail, bringing locally sourced ingredients to a global customer base. Their success is well deserved.”
Facebook said:
“Congratulations to Gnaw Chocolate. It’s great to see a local business innovate with such passion and embrace technology to reach both its local and global audiences. A worthy winner and we wish them the best for the future.”
Two other Norfolk Regional Winners were also named runners up for the national awards. Larking Gowen for the Workplace Wellbeing Award and Liftshare for Employer of the Year.
To view all the national winners from the awards, click here.
In the run up to the Brexit leave date of 29 March 2019, the BBC are seeking small to medium sized firms that would be willing to speak to Radio 5 Live, and possibly also BBC Breakfast TV, about their concerns in the run up to the leave date, and also how their business has been affected by the Brexit and the changes in the economy since the leave vote thus far.
They are looking for businesses from across any sector of the economy but their preference is for smaller regional firms with under fifty employees.
It is crucial that the Norfolk business voice is heard and that the small business perspective is taken into account. If you would be willing to be interviewed, please send your contact details to:
On Thursday 8 March, eight Norfolk Chamber members went to London for the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) conference. Business writer Huw Sayer was among them and sent in this report.
The BCC annual conference might not be as glamorous as the BAFTAs but it is a major event in the UK’s business calendar. Delegates from across the UK and international Chambers gather to listen to politicians and business leaders debating the hot topics facing industry. The focus this year was on diversity, international trade and the future of work.
These three topics were particularly appropriate as:
The event coincided with International Women’s Day and came hard on the heels of numerous high profile sexual abuse scandals and pay equality disputes.
The EU had just set out its latest negotiating position on Brexit, including a possible future trading relationship with the UK.
The fourth industrial revolution, particularly the use of AI and robotics, seems to be accelerating exponentially and transforming the jobs market.
The less said about the four political set speeches the better. It’s understandable the BCC should invite politicians – but it’s a shame they each got 15 minutes to talk rather than just five. All we learnt was that some MPs seem to think repeating wishes loudly enough will make them come true.
Don’t lose sight of what matters to business
The non-political speeches however were incredibly interesting and the panel discussions were excellent. The BCC’s director general, Dr Adam Marshall, made a particularly impassioned call for all parties not to allow Brexit to distract them from the critical issues facing the country. In particular, he stressed the urgent need for greater investment in core infrastructure (road, rail, broadband and mobile) to improve productivity and drive innovation.
Help people embrace change
The morning session, chaired by Anna Edwards from Bloomberg Europe, looked at the future of work. A key challenge is how we give people the digital skills to cope with new technology. Sarah Howard MBE, one time president of the Suffolk Chamber and now VP at the BCC, called for better careers advice in schools – and more work experience opportunities. She said that many businesses were keen to support this – but schools need to do a better job of planning their involvement.
Uncertainty is here to stay
The first session of the afternoon, chaired by Bronwen Maddox from the Institute of Government, looked at the future of trade. Clearly, Brexit was always going to dominate – and, judging by the audience reaction, it divides the business community as much as it does the nation. That said, the panel (from across the political spectrum) tended to be pragmatic in their analysis. Miriam González, from the law firm Dechert, was particularly impressive in her grasp of detail. She observed that most businesses she spoke to were being realistic and treating Brexit as a damage limitation exercise.
Culture eats strategy – so get yours right
The theme of the final panel discussion, chaired by Sarah Gordon from the Financial Times, was diversity in business. It particularly looked at how to encourage more women to pursue STEM related careers. Samantha Payne, the co-founder of Open Bionics, made the important point that diversity is essential if you want to attract talented ‘millennials’.
In the main, young people want open and tolerant workplaces – and will judge potential employers as much by their company culture as the pay packet on offer. Funke Abimbola MBE, General Counsel at Roche UK’s pharmaceuticals division, stressed the need for greater transparency on pay and employment practices to create such a culture. While Fleur Sexton, MD of PET-Xi, emphasised the business value of diversity, not least in building more creative and productive teams.
A day well spent
Despite leaving home at 05:30 and not getting back until 20:30, this was a worthwhile trip. As well as listening to interesting people discuss important topics; I had the pleasure of meeting quite a few people from other Chambers (including a team from Suffolk). The four hours train travel wasn’t wasted either as it gave me the opportunity to get to know fellow Chamber board directors better.
As well as chatting about families, children and pets, we discussed some of the key challenges facing Norfolk businesses. Naturally, one of these was the state of the railways – notably the bottleneck created by the single track over Trowse Bridge. That is a topic for another day but your board is determined to unlock this long-term brake on the local economy.
Catch up on social media
If you want to see what other people thought about the BCC conference, just search for the hashtag #BCCConf on Twitter. Don’t forget to follow @NorfolkChamber for all your local business news
Breckland Council’s Budget and the Medium Term Financial Plan provide the funding for delivery of the key priorities outlined in their Corporate Plan and the range of local services they can provide. They have invited comments from businesses and residents alike and would welcome your thoughts on their draft proposal
A Year 5 pupil Dragons’ Den competition saw Mile Cross pupils face real life business dragons in the Norwich School During the Michealmas term, Norwich School Business Enterprise department have had the great pleasure to work on their first partnership project with Mile Cross Primary School and City College Norwich in a Dragons’ Den competition.
60 year 5 pupils from Mile Cross and L6 Business Enterprise pupils joined forces at City College’s StartUp lounge for the first day of the event on 6th November. Teams of Year 5 pupils were assigned a L6 mentor and tasked with coming up with a business idea that would wow the dragons.
The project, jointly led by Nicola Hill (Assistant Head of Outreach) and Toby Whalen (Deputy Head at Mile Cross Primary), aimed to provide an engaging introduction into product design, marketing and finance. Ideas ranged from fitness parties to an automatic dog ball thrower, with pupils taking inspiration from their surroundings a the StartUp Lounge.
The project final took place this week at Norwich School, with high profile dragons from Norwich’s business community, including Stefan Gurney and Miles Watson from Norwich Business Improvement District and Nova Fairbank from the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce. Mile Cross Head Teacher and Norwich School’s Steffan Griffiths also took on the role of dragons, with teams pitching their ideas to win an “investment”. The overall winning idea, “Zombie Bears” caught the imaginations of the dragons, with their sophisticated marketing and branding ideas and their captivating pitch.
Both the Year 5 pupils and the L6 Business Enterprise pupils gained much from the partnership, and plans are already in place for the next Dragons’ Den after the success of this inaugural event. Comments from our guests highlight the significance of the partnership:
Nova Fairbank, Head of Policy, Governance & Public Affairs, Norfolk Chamber of Commerce
“The students pitching at today’s Dragon’s Den have done an amazing job. Their presentations were well thought out; their business cases were solid; and all teams presented enthusiastic and interesting pitches. The Dragons had a truly difficult decision to select the winning bid. The talent and energy in the room was brilliant and I think we may have seen several future entrepreneurs! Well done to all the teams.”
Stefan Gurney, Executive Director, Norwich Business Improvement District (BID).
“It was truly inspiring to see the next generation of Norwich entrepreneurs pitching their innovative business ideas to us. All of the teams created products with originality, strong business models and presented with passion and energy. It was a difficult decision to choose a winning pitch, but a huge congratulations to every one of the students who worked so hard and gave us such a tough choice. Norwich’s future is in safe hands.”
We have today received a CV (see attached) from Norwich City Council, for a candidate from our french twin city of Rouen, who is looking for a short-term work placement.
He is looking for a technician internship in the computing field, within the engineering sector.
If you have a possible gap and can offer him a role within your company, please contact:
Norwich City Council Andy Emms Democratic Services Manager Tel. 01603 212459 Email: andyemms@norwich.gov.uk
The British Chambers of Commerce, in partnership with DHL, has published its latest Quarterly International Trade Outlook, based on survey and export documentation data. It finds that as the clock ticks ever closer to Brexit, a combination of exchange rates and price pressures is forcing exporters to increase prices.
The survey, of over 2,500 exporters, including those from Norfolk, shows that there is an increasing number of firms who are expecting to increase prices in the next three months. 41% of manufacturers and 34% of service firms surveyed report that their prices will rise, up from 35% and 32% in the previous quarter.
Exchange rates is the top external factor concerning business, with 68% of manufacturers and 50% of services firms citing it as an issue. The vast majority of exporting manufacturers (85%) site the cost of raw materials as a pressure driving prices.
These rising costs are contributing to a slowdown in export orders, with just 35% of manufacturers and 24% of services businesses reporting an increase in orders – compared with 39% and 30% respectively the previous quarter.
This is also reflected in the BCC/DHL Trade Confidence Index, which measures the volume of trade documents issued by Accredited Chambers of Commerce for goods shipments outside the EU. This decreased by 3.86% this quarter and 4.81% compared to the same quarter in the previous year, but still remains high by historical standards.
The current Brexit uncertainty is weighing heavily on business communities across the country. It is crucial that firms get the clarity and precision on the terms of trade they will face with the EU and many other countries in a matter of months. They will also need to know who they can hire, what rules they need to follow, and what more the government can do to support them through this period.
Key findings from the report:
35% of manufacturers and 24% of services saw an increase in export orders in the last three months, a slowdown from 39% and 30% respectively
17% of manufacturers and 14% of services sector firms saw a decrease in orders
68% of manufacturers are more concerned about exchange rates than the previous quarter (up from 60%)
76% of manufacturers and 69% of services firms who attempted to recruit, struggled to find the right staff. This is up from the 69% seen in Q2 for manufacturers and 60% for services
85% of manufacturers cite the cost of raw materials as a leading source of price pressure, up from 81% in Q2 2018
The BCC/DHL Trade Confidence Index, a measure of the volume of trade documentation issued nationally, fell by 3.86% on the quarter, but remains high by historical standards
Nova Fairbank, Head of Policy, Governance & Public Affairs for Norfolk Chamber, said:
“The ongoing political and economic turbulence continues to play on the minds of exporters. Every twist and turn in Westminster is pounced upon by the markets, so it is no surprise that the volatility in the exchange rates weighs heavily.
“Despite the continued political turmoil, companies will always find a way to trade with each other. While exporters are doing their best to harness the advantages of the falling pound, its impact on imports in the supply chain often makes this a double-edged sword.
“Giving clarity and precision to firms should be of paramount concern for the government. And at a time of record high skills shortages, the government must urgently publish the Immigration White Paper, to give long-term clarity to firms in all corners of the country who need skills at all levels.”
Shannon Diett, VP of Marketing at DHL Express, said:
“The small decline in the Trade Confidence Index, down 3.9% on Q2 2018 and 4.8% on Q3 2017, is not surprising given the uncertain business climate we’re currently facing. We are however encouraged to see that both manufacturers and service firms remain confident that trade will improve over the next 12 months. We continue to encourage businesses to increase the number of countries they trade with to help reduce future risk and increase the opportunities for growth.”
Commenting on the Bank of England’s Quarterly Inflation Report, Caroline Williams CEO Norfolk Chamber of Commerce said:
“While we have always felt that the earlier gloom over the UK economy has been exaggerated, the positive trends outlined within Governor King’s final Inflation Report appear to be too optimistic. We accept that growth is likely to remain positive, but believe that the speed of the recovery will be somewhat slower than the Governor indicated. The grim eurozone data also shows that our exporters will face obstacles over the year ahead. We also think that the inflation outlook is slightly worse than the report suggests, and future falls in 2013 and 2014 will not happen as quickly.
“With the flexible monetary remit given to the MPC by the Chancellor, and the likelihood of policy changes after the arrival of Mark Carney as Governor, it is important that the MPC does not encourage a faster sterling devaluation to support exports – even if inflation rises temporarily. The unusually weak earnings figures highlight the squeeze on businesses and consumers, and there is a risk that the small benefits to exports will be outweighed by damage to domestic demand that can harm growth.”
Norwich City Council’s new corporate priorities, approach to savings and proposed increase in council tax are the focus of a public consultation. Over the last 10 years the city council has achieved £30m worth of savings, new income and efficiencies. However, central government funding cuts and unavoidable growth leaves the city council with a projected shortfall in future years.
Paul Kendrick, the city council’s cabinet member for resources, said:
“Despite these challenges, the council isn’t proposing any significant service changes in the next financial year. “Instead, we’re adapting financially by generating more income and making savings and efficiencies where appropriate. So I encourage as many people as possible to give us their views on our budget consultation for 2019-20.”
The online budget consultation sets out the council’s new draft corporate priorities and will shape how it will play its role in realising the Norwich 2040 city vision through partnership working, service delivery and income generation. The consultation asks for feedback on three main elements:
Commenting on the GDP and trade statistics for October 2018, published today by the ONS, Suren Thiru, Head of Economics at the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said:
“The latest GDP data is further evidence that the drag effect of persistent Brexit uncertainty and the significant cost pressures faced by consumers and businesses is taking its toll on the UK economy.
“The slowdown on the underlying three-month measure of GDP was largely driven by weaker service sector growth as car sales fell. That said, the service sector still made the largest contribution to overall economic activity, with manufacturing and construction adding little to overall UK growth.
“The widening in the UK’s trade deficit is a concern and reflects a sharp rise in goods imports. Trading conditions for UK exporters are deteriorating amid moderating global growth and uncertainty over Brexit. Businesses continue to report that the persistent weakness in sterling is hurting as much as its helping, with the weakening currency raising input costs.”
Commenting on the impact on Norfolk-based companies, Nova Fairbank, Head of Policy, Governance & Public Affairs for Norfolk Chamber said:
“Norfolk businesses are playing a waiting game – they are holding back on much needed investment, due to the uncertainty of Brexit and this is impacting on the local economy. It is vital that they get the clarity and precision they need on future terms of trade; who they can hire; what rules they will need to follow; and what more the government will do to support them through this turbulent period.”