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View this post on Instagram
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Thought of the day. Stay strong. Stay safe and look out for one another. If you haven’t read The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy I urge you to seek it out. A book about friendship, love & kindness. It speaks a universal language & we all need a bit of Charlie’s world right now! 🙏. . . . @charliemackesy @penguinukbooks #bekind #coronakindness #keephealthy
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A post shared by Gareth Scourfield (@stylegazer1) on Mar 17, 2020 at 3:17am PDT
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Use social media to improve footfall View the Coronavirus Hub

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Government guidance for people who work in or run shops, branches, stores or similar environments.

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Understand how to work safely during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and get guidance on how to continue or restart operations in line with Government advice.

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This guidance is aimed at both non-food stores, fashion stores and other types of retail that are currently closed and shops that are currently open, such as shops selling food and chemists. This guidance will help these businesses consider what their operations may need to look like when they are allowed to open.

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Branches include bank branches and other open money businesses.

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Advice includes:

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Thinking about risk
Who should go to work
Social distancing at work
Managing your customers
Cleaning the workplace
Personal protective equipment (PPE) and face coverings
Work force management
Inbound and outbound goods

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Organisations across the UK are naturally concerned about the spread of coronavirus and what it means for them. With the situation evolving daily, the WorkNest Coronavirus Advice Hub is designed to offer a single source of regularly updated guidance so that you can take decisive action, minimise disruption, and keep people safe.

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Get instant access to:

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Sample letters and policies;
Risk assessment templates;
FAQs and guidance documents

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Click on the button below to head to the portal, complete the short form to register for free and select ‘British Independent Retailers Association’ selection from the partnership dropdown to access.

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WorkNest Coronavirus Advice Hub

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For more information on other areas of change for independent retailers during the Coronavirus pandemic, view Bira’s Coronavirus Hub.

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Scottish retail suffered its worst Christmas trading ever due to the coronavirus pandemic, a new report has revealed.

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The Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) has released its Retail Sales Monitor for December 2020 in association with KPMG.

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Key points are:

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In December, Scottish sales decreased by 15.6% on a like-for-like basis compared with December 2019, when they had decreased by 1.5%*. This is below the 3-month average decrease of 11.0% and the 12-month average decrease of 11.3%.
Total sales in Scotland decreased by 16.6% compared with December 2019, when they had decreased by 0.6%*. This was below the 3m average decline of 12.2% the 12m average decline of 12.8%. Adjusted for deflation, the decrease was 14.8%.
Total Food sales increased 3.3% versus December 2019, when they had increased by 2.4%*. December was below the 3-month average growth of 4.1% and the 12-month average growth of 3.8%. The 3-month average was below the UK level of 7.3%, while the 12-month average was below the UK’s levels of 5.4%.
Total Non-Food sales decreased by 33.4% in December compared to December 2019, when they had decreased by 3.1%*. This was below the 3-month average decline of 25.8% and the 12-month average decline of 26.5%.

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Adjusted for the estimated effect of Online sales, Total Non-Food sales decreased by 17.7% in December versus December 2019, when they had increased by 1.5%*. This is below the 3-month average decline of 10.2% and the 12-month average decline of 14.4%. Those are lower than the UK’s 3m average decline of 1.5% and 12m Total average decline of 5.0% respectively.

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David Lonsdale, Director, Scottish Retail Consortium, said: “Scotland’s retailers are in the depths of the biggest crisis in two decades after the worst ever December trading. Retail sales fell in real terms by 15 percent, the worst since June, as lockdowns at the start and end of the month snuffed out hopes of a late rally to end the year.

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“Food sales remained positive but recorded their second weakest monthly performance since the Spring, underwhelming considering the lack of competition from eateries. Non-food sales from stores slumped dramatically, by over a third compared to the same period the previous year. Closed stores for much of the month coupled with the loss of the post-Christmas discounting period clobbered non-food shops, removing the final chance for them to tempt customers and shift unsold stock. Online sales fared well and blunted the decline somewhat for non-food categories. It was a Blue Christmas for retail – and with shopkeepers missing out on much of the golden trading quarter the pressure on those businesses is reaching boiling point.

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$\"scotland-262x300\"$

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“It isn’t just down to weak Christmas trading. Across 2020 sales fell massively – far and away the worst figures SRC has reported during twenty two years of the survey. This fall can be clearly attributed to the repeated lockdowns and weak economy; and the bleaker picture compared to the UK as a whole shows how retail has suffered from longer lasting lockdowns and restrictions. Tough restrictions may be right to tackle Covid – but need to be matched with support for the industry – and so a firm commitment in the Scottish Budget to further business rates relief is a must. Ministers need to look hard at how they can lift the burden on an industry which has been reduced to its knees by the current crisis, as even when we emerge from lockdown shops will be unable to trade at capacity due to physical distancing and caps on shoppers in stores.”

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Download the full report here

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Additional Guidance and Resources

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Join Bira now

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By 25th May 2018, all companies must be compliant with the new GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation). That deadline is fast approaching, so make sure you are travelling in the right direction

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Complete data audit

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Retailers should complete an audit and document what data they hold, where it came from, how they use it and with whom they share it. You should only keep personal data that you need for lawful processing. You need to keep it up to date, keep it secure and delete it when you can. Retailers will need to be justified in sharing the data they have to third parties and cannot share it outside the European Economic Area (subject to some exemptions).

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Secure customer consents

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Your customers should be provided with a detailed “fair collection notice” when their data is first being collected. Consent needs to be a positive “opt-in” indication of agreement to personal data being processed.

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You can only rely on consents given prior to 25 May 2018 if they were GDPR-compliant when received. If you didn’t get a positive opt-in for your current data, then you won’t be compliant. Your customers can request to receive a copy of all the information you hold on them (via a Subject Access Request). Make sure you have a system by which you can provide this within a month’s timeframe.

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Your customers need to know they have a right to withdraw their consent and they have a right to rectify and restrict the data you have on them. If they are unhappy with how their data is handled, then they have a right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

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Review policy and security

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Review your current privacy policies. You will need to explain the legal basis for having the data you have and for how long you plan on keeping it for. Policies and procedures need to be kept up to date.

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You need to have appropriate security to protect the personal data you hold, to ensure it isn’t lost or inappropriately accessed. Check your IT and physical security policies.

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You are obligated to notify the ICO of a data breach within 72 hours, so make sure you have a policy in place for if this happens.

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Train staff

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Once you have your policies in place, ensure your staff understand their responsibilities to keep personal data secure. Personal data needs to be treated with care and only used in appropriate ways.

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Ongoing things to remember

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Changes apply to all UK businesses and the deadline for having your processes in place is 25 May 2018. Penalties for non-compliance will be introduced after this date and are going to be high with a maximum fine of up to £18m or 4% of an organisation’s global turnover.

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With the confirmation of the new contactless limit being implemented from Friday 15^th October 2021, we have put together a quick and easy guide for you to stay up to date.

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Why is there a new contactless limit?

The new contactless limit has been introduced to allow consumers to buy their more expensive purchases that may cost more than £45, such as a weekly food shop or petrol.

How is it being implemented?

The update to card terminal rolls out on Friday 15^th October, but with thousands of card terminals needing to be updated the process will happen gradually, so there’s no need to worry if your terminal isn’t updated straight away.

Do I need to be aware of anything when waiting for the new limit?

If a purchase costs more than £45 and the machine has not yet been updated to accept £100 transactions, then contactless card payments will not be an available option. You will still be able to pay through chip & pin, cash, Apply Pay and Google Pay.

Has the method we pay on contactless changed?

The method to pay on contactless has remained the same.

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Look out for the contactless symbol when shopping.
Tell the retailer you’d like to use your contactless card and simply touch it directly onto the card reader.
The card reader will indicate when your card has been recognised, typically with a beep or green light.
Follow the instructions on the card reader and terminal display to confirm when your payment has been success or whether you need to complete a chip and PIN payment instead.

For extra security you may occasionally be asked to enter your PIN.

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For more information and FAQs visit our Contactless Payments page

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Further guidance and resources:

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As we enter January 2020 now’s the time to plan ahead for 2020 starting with the key retail dates for your calendar.

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From the must-attend trade shows, holidays to local and international calendar dates, use the Bira Direct Retail Buying Calendar to plan in your product ranges, events and to increase your brand awareness.

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Key retail buying calendar dates for Q1

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January

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1^st January - New Year’s Day - A traditional shopping day where many members of the public hit the sales.

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6^th January - Suggested Spring Summer Launch - Focus on the mark down of AW2019 product to make way for new ranges.

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12^th-14^th January - Top Drawer - A key show for home, gift and lifestyle see brands such as Black + Blum, Blade and Rose and Sass & Belle.

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12^th-15^th January - Harrogate Christmas & Gift - The place to see all the new Christmas ranges for AW20 including products from Bailey & Brooke, Heart & Home and Leonardo.

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18^th January - Winnie the Pooh Day: Get creative with your shop window displays or social media posting for Winnie the Pooh Day, you could choose to stock Winnie the Pooh products from Enesco or host a teddy bear picnic in the local community to celebrate.

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20^th– 27^th January - Big Energy Saving Week – Look to improve your energy efficiency by switching to LED lighting from suppliers such as Energetic & Luceco. Also, stock products to encourage your customers to save energy by stocking products that encourage customers to make better choices in their purchases.

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25^th January - Chinese New Year – The Chinese New Year beginning in 2020 is the year of the Rat. If you have a prominent Chinese community near your shop celebrate by creating a themed window display, posting on social media or dressing your shop in red decorations. As it’s a 15 day festival it’s a good opportunity to run a promotion if possible.

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25^th January - Burns Night – A good opportunity to throw Burns night event. If you’re a cookshop why not include a cooking demonstration and serve traditional Scottish food served with Scotch Whisky from Berkmann Wine Cellars.

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$\"Chinese$

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February

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1^st - 29^th February – LGBT History Month – Show support to the LGBT community by posting on social media or by run events.

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2^nd-6^th February – Spring Fair – The biggest trade show in the calendar. Bira members can meet with Mary Berry through Bira Direct Supplier Captivate Brands and benefit from exclusive offers from Bira Direct suppliers.

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7^th February – Send a Card to a Friend Day – Promote send a card to a friend day by stocking a selection of cards by the till from suppliers such as Really Good and Ling Design.

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14^th February – Valentine’s Day – A short selling window so best to sell products that aren’t Valentine’s day specific. A good example would be floral scented candles from suppliers such as Wax Lyrical or products which can be worked back into your ranges after Valentines day is over.

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17^th February – Random Act’s of Kindness Day – Show your customers your appreciation and help your community by celebrating Random Act’s of Kindness Day in your business. You could offer a ‘Just Because” Discount for your customers or hold a charity event that gives back to the local community.

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20^th February – National Love Your Pet Day – Although pet owners are likely to show appreciation to their four legged friends throughout the year you can take advantage of National Love Your Pet Day and run a best dressed pet competition or promotion on pet products in your business.

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25^th February – Shrove Tuesday/Pancake Day – If you’re a cookshop why not run a pancake making demonstration for Pancake Day with frying pans available from Tefal.

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29^th February – Leap Year – As a leap year only happens every four years, you could take advantage by offering an extra special discount.

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$\"Valentines$

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March

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1^st March – Saint David’s Day (Wales) – Celebrate Saint David’s Day in your business by stocking Welsh products such as glassware and pot pourri manufactured in Wales from The Milford Collection.

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5^th March – World Book Day – It’s not just bookshops that can benefit from celebrating World Book Day. It’s a day where children are encouraged to dress up as their favourite literary character, you could offer discounts to those in costume or stock products themed with literally favourites such as Alice in Wonderland, Dr Seuss or Harry Potter.

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8^th March – International Women’s Day – If you stock products that specifically target women then International Women’s Day is a great opportunity to show appreciation to your customer base whether through social media or promotion in store.

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17^th March – St Patrick’s Day (Ireland) – Decorate your store for the occasion or create a collection of green or themed products. Luck is a great concept for a promotion or competition to run to mark the occasion.

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18^th March – Global Recycling Day – Customers are more conscious of making better choices when it comes to choosing products made from recyclable materials. For Global Recycling Day make sure to stock products made from recyclable or reusable materials such as reusable shopping bags from Eco Chic or Beeswax Wraps from Dexam.

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20^th March – The Great British Spring Clean – With the likes of Mrs Hinch and Marie Kondo making clean cool again build your range of cleaning products to celebrate the Great British Spring Clean.

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22^nd March – Mother’s Day – A short selling window, so best to stock products that aren’t Mother’s Day specific and focus more on generic ‘Mum’ products. You could also offer mothers a free gift in store to drive footfall.

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28^th March – English Tourism Week – If your local area is a Tourism hotspot take advantage of the increased footfall brought in by English Tourism Week.

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$\"Spring$

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Bira Events

Bira Events

Government guidance for people who work in or run shops, branches, stores or similar environments.

Understand how to work safely during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and get guidance on how to continue or restart operations in line with Government advice.

Advice includes:

Further reading and guidance:

By 25th May 2018, all companies must be compliant with the new GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation). That deadline is fast approaching, so make sure you are travelling in the right direction

Complete data audit

Secure customer consents

Review policy and security

Train staff

Ongoing things to remember

With the confirmation of the new contactless limit being implemented from Friday 15th October 2021, we have put together a quick and easy guide for you to stay up to date.

As we enter January 2020 now’s the time to plan ahead for 2020 starting with the key retail dates for your calendar.

Key retail buying calendar dates for Q1

January

February

March

Sign up to our newsletter

With the confirmation of the new contactless limit being implemented from Friday 15^th October 2021, we have put together a quick and easy guide for you to stay up to date.