On the 14th August 2014 Jordan Daykin showed off his new invention on the reality TV show Dragons’ Den. The 19 year old inventor already owns two other businesses and had the idea for the Grip It Fixings when he was only 13! With sales for the Grip It Fixings booming by over 600% since the day he appeared on the show it looks as though he has nothing to worry about for the future either! In previous blogs we have discussed how to manage returns in your store, but with this great invention we expect that there won’t be many coming back! Continue reading “Dragons Den’s New Success Story – Grip It Fixings”
Category: News
The Bounce Back of Retailers in August
Thanks to children going back to school, needing new clothes and shops selling a considerable amount in the autumn sales, retailers have bounced back in the last month. The sunny weather has also had a lot to do with the bounce back, however groceries haven’t been so lucky due to the substantial discounts they offer according to the British Retail Consortium. Sales were up 1.3% compared to last year in August meaning that we have had the most radical growth since January. Forty six per cent of the retailers who were surveyed said that their sales were higher that 2013 whereas 25% said their sales were less. Continue reading “The Bounce Back of Retailers in August”
Invention of Colour Applying Hair Straightening Irons
At the University of Mexico and Los Alamos National Laboratories, they have recently been inventing a hair straightening iron that changes hair colour when applied. Researchers and inventors have found that small spiral patterns that they call ‘gratings’ engraved into individual hairs, will reflect the light in a way that will change hair colour permanently. Continue reading “Invention of Colour Applying Hair Straightening Irons”
Tradesmen struggling with UK Construction demands
Since the beginning of this year the UK housing market has boomed, meaning that demand for properties has outstripped the amount available. In order to solve this issue, the government has funded numerous housing projects to create new properties as quickly as possible. However, some tradesmen are struggling with the amount of work required meaning that a number of projects are taking longer than expected. Continue reading “Tradesmen struggling with UK Construction demands”
Retailers push for changes to Business Rates
Since the recession started back in 2008, a number of retailers have gone out of business leaving a large proportion of UK high streets with empty shop fronts. One of the main reasons retailers struggled during the recession was because people started spending less money as the cost of living increased and wages remained stagnant, however this isn’t the only reason. All retailers based in the UK have to cover the costs of outgoings including rent on their premises, shop insurance and business rates, which is why they have called on the government to abolish the latter. Continue reading “Retailers push for changes to Business Rates”
Calls for UK Sunbed Salons to face Tougher Regulations
Here in the UK we don’t get much sun, which is why the tanning industry is so lucrative. Every year, people spend thousands of pounds on tanning products and sunbeds in order to get a ‘healthy glow’, however recent reports have shown that overuse of sunbeds is having devastating effects on the UK public. Continue reading “Calls for UK Sunbed Salons to face Tougher Regulations”
UK Public struggling to find Reliable Tradesmen
Here at Nova Insurance we have previously discussed a new phenomenon where traders go online and use websites in order to advertise their services and customers can leave reviews of the work that they have done. These websites are becoming more and more popular due to the fact that many people find it difficult to distinguish a reliable tradesman from one that will cause an issue with their properties or provide sub-standard work. In fact, it has recently been reported that last year homeowners paid just less than two billion pounds to fix errors made by unreliable tradesmen. Continue reading “UK Public struggling to find Reliable Tradesmen”
How UK Retailers can protect themselves from decreasing Sales
After January most shops see a slump in sales, which is why it’s so important for shop owners to make as much profit as possible during the Christmas and post-season sales periods. In fact, we have recently seen a number of news stories claiming that retailers across the UK are struggling due to the fact that they have seen a huge reduction in the amount of customers.
Retailers in Scotland have particularly suffered during February, as sales decreased by one percent – a 0.3 per cent increase compared to the year before. Furthermore, like-for-like sales decreased by 2.5 per cent, meaning that not only are shop owners seeing fewer customers but the ones that they are seeing are spending less. Discussing the issue, David Lonsdale, director of the Scottish Retail Consortium, said: “These sales figures confirm that Scottish retailers experienced a challenging February. Continue reading “How UK Retailers can protect themselves from decreasing Sales”
Salons extending Opening Hours to attract new Customers
Here at Nova Insurance we often discuss how salon owners need to adapt their businesses in order to attract new customers and ensure their success for the future. In fact, just last week we posted a blog post containing four ways in which salon owners can add little extras to their salons in order to appeal to a wider client base.
It is therefore not surprising to hear that a number of salons across the UK are also coming up with new ways to attract customers, such as offering extended opening hours. One salon in London has even gone so far as to open 24 hours a day between Tuesday and Saturday, and so far it seems as though it is proving extremely popular. The Neil Cornelius salon is based on Bond Street in London, and in 2012 the owner decided to keep the salon open for twenty four hours every Thursday. Continue reading “Salons extending Opening Hours to attract new Customers”
Traders Advised to Embrace Technology
Here at Nova Insurance we often write on how important it is for traders to try new ways to improve their businesses, especially if they want to stay ahead of the competition. One method is to create an online presence, especially as more and more customers are going online to find traders. We have already seen a number of tradesmen rating sites becoming increasingly popular over the past few years, and now traders are being advised to also use digital media to advertise their services. Continue reading “Traders Advised to Embrace Technology”