Tag: UK

The transport industry is facing up to wide spread problems all the way across the board, from same day courier services through to heavy goods haulage firms. How the industry deals with these problems is a vital question in how we can move forwards beyond the difficulties posed by rising fuel prices, environmental concerns being levied on the industry and also the potential prospect of winters as harsh as the one that the UK recently experienced.

The recent cold snap has a massive effect on the transport industry, and continues to do so, as it presented multiple problems that courier services and those in the industry had to work around and deal with. First and foremost amongst these problems was the over-abundance of ice on the roads during this period. Many local councils were woefully unprepared for a winter as harsh as the one we had last, leading to salt supplies being much too low. This in turn led to many roads simply becoming unusable, especially in smaller suburbs or urban areas. Needless to say this had the potential to strike a crippling blow to the transport industry and, for many, it did just that. The industry, and Britain as a whole, was simply caught unawares by the difficulties posed by such a nasty winter, and this led to major problems for many businesses, however the transport industry was amongst the most prominently affected. Vehicles were forced off the roads and many companies simply had to shut up shop for a number of weeks, drastically affecting income.

This is something to we simply can’t afford to happen again, especially due to the potentially catastrophic effect it can have on smaller businesses and urgent courier services, who rely on their ability to get from A to B quickly. As such we need to ensure that local councils all over the country have adequate salt supplies should we face the same issues in the future. Not only this, but salt supplies need to evenly spread around. We, as an industry, simply can’t afford another winter like the one we just experienced and knowing that supplies could have been available in places that needed them simply rubbed salt into the wounds.

Some are attempting to take measures to minimize the impact of this problem. The Freight Transport Association (FTA) has already recommended a number of potential solutions to the problems that the industry faces from a harsh winter. Amongst these are the obvious, such as ensuring there are larger salt supplies available to reduce the time queuing at salt production sites.

Another, less obvious recommendation is to provide drivers with a little more leeway when it comes to their hours. The FTA calls for a greater flexibility in the handling of a drivers time on the road, as well as calling for a modest increase in the amount of time they can spend driving when they are able, to compensate for the periods during winter when they may be forced off the road.

This call, however, comes into direct conflict with recent rulings by the European Parliament (EP). An attempt to permanently exempt owner drivers from the 48 hour week imposed by the EP failed, meaning that soon self-employed courier drivers will now have to limit themselves to 48 hours of working per week, alongside the workforce that they may employ.

Worldwide golf sport and equipments/supplies industry is highly fragmented with largest contribution coming from the US, Japan and some of the European countries. Golf industry has a large number of male participants than female while this trend is slowly changing and increasing number of women are entering into the golf business. India and China are emerging markets for this sport.

Per capita income and demographic trends leave a major influence over golf demand and participation. The US golf industry is one of the largest in the world and has advanced golf facilities. While in recent times, its growth rate is slower than expected because of the high cost involved in the game and present economic conditions of the US does not allow spending much on leisure activities. Golf apparel and accessories segment started gaining popularity due to rising per capita disposable income in all parts of the country. The golf industry, particularly equipment sales, is impacted by the participation rate, especially from a group of core golfers, and also by the number of rounds played.

Within Europe, a major portion of golf demand and supply comes from few countries wherein the UK and Ireland stands on top. The European golf industry is benefiting from rising golf participation rate in the UK and revenues generated from golf tours. A major portion of the demand for golf equipment is coming from Western part of the Europe, while Eastern Europe is also indicating rising interest of population in the sport. Manufacturers of golf equipments have reduced their production estimate for 2012 and 2013 due to falling national income and trade.

Golf industry in Asian region is expanding rapidly with growing income and rising golf tourists. It has been estimated that number of golfers in these regions increasing rapidly and generating need to serve rising number of members. India offers huge opportunities for golf industry with large number of population and rise in foreign tourists arrivals.

The upcoming report on Global Golf Industry, Participation and Growth Forecast will provide a detailed analysis of golf industry development worldwide with focus on Europe and the US markets. The study will include participation trend, impact of economy over golf industry, golf equipments demand and forecasts. The report will also analyze industry trends, macro economy environment and driving forces accounting for change in the industry.
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The world of ‘catering’ is now a very far cry from simple sandwiches for office staff, or an occasional Directors lunch.

There are literally hundreds of thousands of catering companies throughout the UK. Some are small businesses providing mobile catering solutions, perhaps for small public events like fetes or open days. Others are multi million pound companies who specialise in catering for the country’s most high profile parties and occasions.

And catering isn’t just about food any more either. In fact plenty of today’s catering companies also provide drink, decoration and even entertainment as part of their product. More party planners than simple caterers, companies like Create or “rhubarb”, also have fingers in the retail pie too – running restaurants and bars as well as event catering arms.

Catering consultants are a fairly new phenomenon. Catering consultants (such as Merrit-Harrison and Turpin Smale) are people or organisations whose sole job is to assist other businesses in their own food and beverage arena. In the upcoming London 2012 Olympics for example there will be a huge demand for good catering consultants. They will be tasked with helping businesses to perfect the art of entertaining their corporate clients for the Olympic period. Many catering consultants are already busy helping hotels and restaurants create, improve or simply enhance their product in the run up to the Games. Let’s face it – it will be one of the busiest event and hospitality times the UK has even seen, so there is a great deal of money to be made getting it right!

As the catering industry has grown and diversified, so too has the scope of catering creativity these companies offer. Event catering, for example, is no longer just about dinner for 200 guests. Now a good catering company may offer you the choice of stalls service (where guests can help themselves to freshly cooked and served food); wok stations – a superbly theatrical way to serve hot fresh food en masse; sushi and sashimi bars; or even roving oyster shuckers. All are new ways of serving fresh, fabulous and of course visually impressive food quickly and efficiently.

The top catering companies employ Creative Managers and Designers whose sole job it is to ensure these ideas are always cutting edge and that the catering product continues to be unusual and effective. After all, as with any industry, it is those companies who evolve and develop their product effectively who do best in their market.

But of course catering doesn’t have to have the ‘wow factor’ either. Just good delicious food is a winning formula in some catering markets. Some companies for example specialise in creating (and delivering to your door) superb yet simple food, sourced and cooked brilliantly and aimed at reducing the time we spend in our kitchens. Classic fish pies and cottage pies perhaps, handmade chicken goujons for the kids, or a simple (cheat’s’ dinner party) cheesecake – all food that perhaps you might pre-order for a weekend away with friends perhaps, just to make a little less work yourself!

After all, that is what catering in all its forms is about – making a little less work for us, be it one less sandwich to make before our working day or one less dinner party to cater for, one less party for 1000 to organize, or one less headache on the corporate hospitality front.

Author Bio: Sara Allom writes about the growth of the catering industry and the rise of catering consultants in the build up to the 2012 Olympics. Its an exciting time to be a UK catering company.

Here in the UK all training courses related to private security be it individually or for a company, must be regulated by the Security Industry Authority (SIA) and approved by the BIIAB.

SIA main duty is the compulsory licensing of individuals working in specific sectors of the private security industry. On the other hand BIIAB is the wholly-owned awarding body of BII, the professional body for the licensed retail industry.

According to the Private Security Industry Act 2001, section 3, schedule 2. Anyone looking to work as a private security guard, door supervisor or as a bouncer must have a valid SIA licence.

Other activities defined as licensable by the Act are: Cash and Valuables in Transit, Close Protection, Public Space Surveillance (CCTV), Key Holding and Vehicle Immobilisation (Wheel Clamping).

How to apply for a SIA licence?

Before applying for SIA licence to work within security industry, individuals must undergo a structured training course that results in a recognised qualification.

Once the training course is completed individuals are submitted to a test. This test is then sent to the entity responsible for marking, in this case BIIAB. BIIAB will return examination results on the same day which means that individuals will receive their test results in about 2 working days.

Having approved the test individuals can then apply for their SIA licence by filling out the SIA Licence applications. Once the application is received and an examination pass has been confirmed it will take between 7-10 days for the SIA licence to be issued.

Licence in hand you are then qualified to work within the security industry.

One of the most common questions that we hear from our students is: Does my SIA Licence for Door supervisor allows me to work as a private security guard as well?

The answer to this question is yes. The door supervisor licence is valid for both door supervision and security guarding.

Before enrolling on any training course keep this in mind:

1 – Check the training provider backgrounds. You don’t want to end up with a fake licence in your hands. 2 – Ask for their accreditations (SIA, BIIAB, Edexcel, etc…) 3 – Look for ex-students testimonials and feedback. The easies way to do this is by Googling the company’s name.

By following these 3 simple steps this will assure that you are enrolled onto a qualified training programme to work within the UK’s security industry.

In this article I described the “ins and outs” to work as a qualified employee in the security industry here in the UK. I would like to hear what is needed to work as a door supervisor or as a security guard in your country. Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

NFIB and WIA to Provide Better Protection for Wine Investors

Millions of Britons enjoy drinking it and many now see it as a long-term investment. Unfortunately, fine wine has also become a focus for fraudsters who trick investors into buying wines or vineyards that bear little resemblance to what they see in the prospectus, or may not even exist. The increasing number of such rorts in Britain has led to calls for action to be taken to protect investors and to increase consumer confidence in fine wines. In the upshot, the UKs National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) is joining forces with the newly-formed Wine Investment Association (WIA) to tackle the problem.

On 14 February 2013, the NFIB and the WIA jointly announced the launch of the new self-regulatory body which will aim to transform the growing wine investment industry by providing better protection for investors in the UK. The WIA has been formed by leading figures from the fine wine investment industry and seeks to support the sector’s growth through voluntary regulation, establishing best practices and setting up processes to identify fraudulent activity.

Director of the NFIB, Det. Supt. Dave Clark, said: “Fraudsters will always follow the money, wine investment is just the latest in a long line of investment opportunities that are being exploited and corrupted to the detriment of the industry as a whole. He added that the NFIB sees the creation of an auditable framework of self-regulation as a step towards maintaining and increasing consumer confidence, while also identifying investment companies which do not operate in accordance with the required high standards.

New Code to Tackle Wine Investment Frauds

Following an extensive consultation period, the WIA has set out the standards and procedures with which its members must comply to remain in good standing. Under the new code of conduct to be drawn up, wine investment firms will undergo stringent audits by accountancy firm Mazars. These will include checks on systems such as stock rotation and to make sure that purchase orders and invoices tally. The director of the WIA, Peter Shakeshaft, revealed that companies which successfully complete the independent audit process commissioned by the newly-formed regulatory body will bear a WIA logo offering consumers a trustworthy safety kitemark. Shakeshaft added: Our industry has been held back far too long by unscrupulous practitioners and issues around fraud. The WIA will really hold the industry to account.