Smarter working has arrived in Havant with the official opening of Studio Seven which forms part of a larger group of Smarter Working Centres (SWC) throughout the county. Local authorities and Hampshire County Council have provided the initial injection of funding into the programme. The initiative is part of a £425k investment by HCC to help Hampshire businesses through and out of the recession to recovery.
Thumbs up for Emsworth ShopsEmsworth residents have given the town’s shops a strong vote of confidence. A unique shopping survey, organised by Emsworth Business Association, says that the town’s traders provide a friendly, convenient service and that most people can find a car parking space in less than 10 minutes. The survey was designed and organised by EBA members, Ray Cobbett and Richard Jannaway . 1) Do you want to reduce your energy costs? The South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) are offering Grants of up to £500 to help small companies make changes to their premises to cut their energy costs. Each company that applies will be loaned a simple energy monitor, provided with a ‘walk round checklist’, ’switch off’ stickers and posters and the application form. Already several companies have been awarded grants to upgrade lighting, replace old heaters and improve airflow. Several companies have even found that just be being able to see how much energy they are using throughout the day has cut their costs!! If your business has an energy spend of between £3000 and £20000 contact Business Link on 0845 600 9 006 to find out how to cut your bills and your carbon footprint. The Chamber also offers a free Utility Tariff Audit – contact nicholas.hoath@chamber.org.uk to request a review 2) Contract Opportunities
a) Please be advised Portsmouth City Council is currently in the process of seeking expressions of interest for the following project – Supply of Temporary/ Permanent Staff, supply teachers & high level executive Interims. Interested parties should logon to In-tend using the link below for further details. https://in-tendhost.co.uk/portsmouthcc/ b) Local businesses who would like to be made known to the private sector bidders seeking to deliver the multi-million pound transformation of Portsmouth’s secondary schools, can now register their interest on a city council web-based register. The proposed £190 million Building Schools for the Future (BSF) project includes the complete re-building of four and refurbishing of eight secondary schools throughout the city. The city council is looking to appoint a private sector partner to deliver the project which, it anticipates, will provide a significant boost to the local economy and job opportunities. The web-based register will be made available to the private sector bidders and will demonstrate the range of skills and services that are available from within the local business community. All potential subcontractors and suppliers are invited to register their interest on www.ebusinessbuilder.org.uk. Businesses should confirm the categories of goods and services they are able to provide and their contact information. Further information for business on BSF is also available by clicking on the ‘Building Schools for the Future’ link on www.portsmouth.gov.uk/learning. If you are already registered on eBusiness Builder you can add yourself to the list by logging in and selecting the relevant option within the “Update my Details” section. To register on eBusiness Builder please use the following link http://www.ebusinessbuilder.org.uk. 3) London 2012 Opportunities – Winning Public Sector Business
Learn the secrets of successful bid writing and tendering The £9.3 billion pound London 2012 Games is looming and there will never be a better time to compete for contracts. It is estimated that there are still over 55,000 supply chain contracts to be awarded and many will be listed and bid for through the CompeteFor website. Many businesses are put off by the jargon, the bureaucracy, the long process and sometimes can not even find suitable opportunities to bid for. This workshop is a mixture of presentation, case study, group work and most importantly for you “working on a tender that you could bid for”. If you are looking for London 2012 opportunities or ANY Public Sector Contract then give yourself the best chance of winning, and book on this ‘Bid Writing & Tendering’ workshop so you can avoid the typical mistakes and pick up tips and best practice when completing a PQQ, EOI or tender document. 5th June 2009 1.00pm – 4.30pm Regional Business Centre, Havant Members: Free, Non-members: £50 + VAT For further information visit www.chamber.org.uk/international_trade.html or contact David Allison: Tel: 023 9244 9449 or Email: david.allison@chamber.org.uk
4) Overcoming Barriers to Trade Please find below a link to a new BERR pamphlet leaflet informing UK firms of the support it offers them in overcoming barriers to trade in other countries. http://www.berr.gov.uk/whatwedo/europeandtrade/eitd-%20whats-%20new/page12574.html.
5) Free Guide to doing business in tough times Business Link is offering a free 24 page ‘Guide to doing business in tough times’. This booklet focuses on the measures which small and medium sized firms can take in response to the current economic downturn. The Guide offers practical suggestions in areas such as finance, planning, operations and customers. The Guide offers tips and ideas for immediate action and recommends steps to take in the longer term. It also outlines further sources of information and online web tools available on the Business Link website. You can sign up to download the free ‘Guide to doing business in tough times’ at www.businessquestionsanswered.co.uk/guide or phone 0845 600 9 006 to request a copy by post. Business owners can also book a free business review ‘Health Check’ with a local Business Link Adviser. Business Link’s free business review will help business owners to assess opportunities and issues in the current market. The review will help you: Ø Manage financial risk and protect cash flow Ø Maximise sales opportunities (including opportunities to market your business free of charge -supplier matching service) Ø Link you into networking opportunities
For more information, call 0845 600 9 006. 6) Beware of two new scams During the past weeks, HMRC has posted details of two new phishing scams on its website. The first is an email from hmrc@hmrc.gov.uk, which asks recipients to ‘update your account to the new EV SSL certification’. This is a scam email attempting to steal User IDs and passwords. The other scam offers a tax rebate. Please do not visit the website contained within the email or disclose any personal or payment information. Email addresses used to distribute the tax rebate emails include:
Examples of these emails can be accessed via the HMRC website. EXL Training are holding the following courses in Emsworth, Hampshire and are offering a 10% Discount to all Emsworth Business Association members
To book a place on one of these courses please contact us: email to exl.training@btconnect.com or call us on 01243 674500
Emsworth now has its own Business Link Business Reviews, held once a Business Reviews provide the chance to have a 1-2-1 advice session with A 1-2-1 review of your business is confidential, looking at your needs, Our series of free spring seminars throughout Hampshire will continue Please visit our website for business information and useful tips for
South West Trains 2 for 1 campaign.Specifically for Hampshire, South West Trains has kindly agreed to fund, promote and support a Spring 2for1 campaign. The campaign will run from 1st March 2009 to 28th June 2009 and offers should be valid for the entire length of the campaign We are looking for straightforward 2for1 offers that you can reach using South West Trains. However, the higher the level of the offer, the more exposure it will have as part of the marketing activity. It could be 2 meals for the price of 1, 2 nights accommodation, 2 weeks accommodation, 2 bikes hired for the price of one – there are no limits to what you can offer but the bigger we can make it, the more exposure and publicity we can get you All terms and conditions of the offer should be supplied to me in writing with the actual offer and instructions on how to redeem (and the offer should be as clear and inclusive as possible) by the end of January 2009 in time for inclusion on the website Offers should, where possible, include text and photography to use on materials associated with the activity. All promotional activity will push to a central website hosted by South West Trains. Once the campaign is in force, all redeemed vouchers will need to be forwarded to me at the end of each month in order that I can report on the success of the campaign both to participants and to South West Trains And before you ask…no, it’s not going to cost you anything! Just please get me all your information by the end of January. Please contact me for more details. Sarah Davis Telephone 02380 625523 Mobile 07921 888937
SUNDAY 14 DECEMBER 2008.
It is a pleasure to report to EBA members the success of our first Sunday Market held last Sunday. More than 50 stallholders were present with almost 20 from the town and surrounds. Attendance was good and stallholders reported steady sales and all felt the occasion was a good business opportunity. In addition a number of shops in the town opened for the first time on a Sunday which gave an additional element to the atmosphere. Many residents and visitors said it was a pleasure to be able to shop locally but buy goods not usually available in the town.
In setting up this event we worked with the directors of the Emsworth Food Festival and are grateful for their support and expertise. Many people were delighted with the entertainment as it reminded them of the heady days of the Food Festival.
In addition we managed the event without having to implement any road closures in the central area and this worked well for residents and indeed visitors too.
Brendan Gibb-Gray. Chairman EBA committee. |
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