Here is a selection of features from Attire Accessories magazine.
During the Great Resignation, which sawemployees voluntarily leaving their jobsen masse, recent statistics revealed that 29percent of women thought about leavingtheir current jobs, reducing hours ordropping out of the workforce altogether.With International Women's Day, backin March, gaining more traction than ever,many businesses are continuing to look athow to help more women feel supportedand empowered at work.Caroline Gleeson, CEO at Occupop,leading recruitment software experts, said:"International Women's Day is a day ofcelebration and advocacy for women'srights and equality around the world, butit doesn't have to end there. This spirit ofinclusion can be a springboard to fairerpractices all year round."Here's how businesses can retain theirtop female talent for the future.
Employees and workforces across the UK are feeling the strain of the cost of-living, with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) finding that nearly half of households throughout the country have experienced their living costs increasing compared to the previous month. Not only can this have a huge impact on expenses for commuting but can have a significant knock-on effect on mental health and morale. This is where employers and businesses can support their workforces during these difficult times to help keep morale and well-being boosted, as well as providing options that can help relieve some of the financial pressure that they're under. Before providing solutions to the issue, it's important to understand the reality of this crisis and how the ripple effects impact millions of workers in the UK. The rise of consumer goods and services by 9.6 percent in October 2022 and the inflation rate staying at 4.2 percent exiting December 2023 means that workers are forced to reevaluate how they manage their money and the resources available.
Whilst intellectual property (IP) infringement issues are on the increase, help is at hand from many simple, no cost safeguards that can be put in place immediately, to support by implementing expert AI monitoring and enforcement techniques Some of the main challenges include impersonation and account takeover. Impersonation, in other words account cloning, copying, copying brand logos, or using brand identities to click on 3rd party websites and promote scams is an issue as is account takeover, the spurious hacking and taking over dormant accounts to promote scams.
'The Summer of Sport' is almost upon us – and what a summer it's set to be. The UEFA Euros, Wimbledon and of course, the Paris 2024 Olympics are all kicking off over the next few weeks. And with them comes a golden opportunity for independent retailers across the UK. With the world's eyes on Europe, the UK is set to enjoy a substantial uptick in visitors and local celebrations. Consumer confidence and spending is also expected to rise as Brits engage in garden parties, community events and a fair few trips to the local pub.
National Chair of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), Martin McTague, looks at how the VAT system operates. Reaching a half century is often a point in life where we take some time to assess our lives, health, and finances, and think about what we want to change. With value-added tax (VAT) having reached that milestone in 2023, we at FSB thought it past time to look at how the VAT system operates – and whether there are ways it could be reformed and rethought, so as to unlock economic potential among the UK's small businesses and the self-employed. There's evidence that VAT is holding back growth among a significant sub-set of small businesses, making an overhaul of the tax all the more urgent as we look for ways to grow the economy.
Marking 25 years of ACID, CEO Dids Macdonald, shares how the group has become a driving force in empowering designers against intellectual property theft. In the late 1990s, many within the giftware sector and in the design industry, generally, faced a crisis as the rampant culture of copying threatened creative innovation. For designers and designer-makers, the frustration of witnessing their innovative designs stolen, often, by well-known UK retailers and manufacturers prompted action. Collaborating with an intellectual property (IP) lawyer and fellow designers, I formed a group to tackle this challenge, resulting in the creation of Anti Copying in Design (ACID). Over the past 25 years ACID has become a driving force in empowering designers against intellectual property theft. IP isn't rocket-science and our consistent focus has been on education and awareness, to help designers become "IP savvy" and to use IP as a positive force for growth.
Local gift cards are driving spend in high streets and downtowns around the world, says fintech Miconex as it shares key insights from its local gift card programmes in the UK, Ireland, Canada and the USA. The range of independent businesses which accept Miconex's local gift cards – usually alongside a range of national brands – makes the cards unique in the sector. A typical 50 percent, and up to 100 percent, of its local gift cards are redeemed with independent shops, restaurants and venues. Retail was top for redemptions of local gift cards in 2023 in the UK. Primark, M&S, Boots, Argos, TK Maxx, Next, Sainsbury's, John Lewis, Dunnes Stores and Aldi were within the top national retailers. New national retailers including Co-op, Smyths Toys and Lidl joined the economy boosting local gift card programmes in 2023.
Martin McTague, National Chair, the Federation of Small Businesses, looks into the impact of cybercrime on small businesses. The Federation of Small Businesses' (FSB) research into business crime unveils a distressing landscape for small businesses in England and Wales, compounded by a surge in both physical and cybercrimes over the last two years. Cracking the Case, published in December, estimates that 81 percent of small businesses have been impacted by at least one crime since January 2021. This a significant increase from the 49 percent reported between 2017-2019. The financial burden of traditional crime is considerable. More than half of these businesses (56 percent) have faced losses exceeding £1,000, while 33 percent have incurred losses of up to £1,000. The situation is worse for one in ten businesses, who have lost over £10,000.
Outsourcing is a common practice for many businesses that need an extra helping hand and expertise when it comes to business activities – and SMEs are no different. In fact, over one-third of SMEs actually outsource some form of activity.
Owen Campbell, Operations Director at Kura, says: "Any business, whether an established company or a startup just getting into their industry, can benefit from outsourcing.
"It not only helps manage workloads better, but it can ensure that all businesses have the right expertise and people in place to provide high-quality services.
"This can be especially useful for SMEs who don't have the time and resources to create whole teams within their business structure."
But what can SMEs outsource, and what benefit does it have for their business?
A new study has revealed that the majority of senior executives in the fashion industry are committed to abolishing plastic. A new study with 100 senior executives who work for fashion brands and retailers in the UK, US and Australia, by Aquapak Polymers Ltd, which specialises in polymer-based material technologies that can deliver both performance and environmental responsibility at scale, reveals that the majority (88 percent) plan to stop plastic in packaging altogether.