Business Development

Spring 2016

Business Development - The EU Referendum: Are you in or out?

Philip Harmer – Senior Partner at Stormcatcher Business Lawyers – looks at what Brexit could mean for your business

The speculation is at an end and the country will be asked to take to the polling booths on Thursday 23 June, to cast their votes on the UK’s future in and with the European Union.

The battle lines have been drawn between members of the Remain and Leave campaigns, led by Prime Minister David Cameron and his close friend Michael Gove respectively.

Cameron, fresh from the campaign trail around EU member countries has garnered support from senior members of cabinet and most other political parties.

The Brexit side counts the likes of Boris Johnson and Iain Duncan Smith amongst its generals, along with sundry members of the political right, including Nigel Farage, and left, including George Galloway.

Winter 2015

Consumer protection

Lawyers Kenneth Mullen and James Neal of Withers tell you what you need to know about the new Consumer Rights Act

On 1 October 2015 the Consumer Rights Act 2015 (the 'CRA') came into force, consolidating laws regulating consumer sales and introducing further changes to consumer rights that will impact online and offline retailers as well as their customers.

Background to the CRA

Recent years have seen a quiet revolution in UK consumer rights, with the scope of protections and remedies available to consumers gradually increased as new legislation has been brought into force.

However, because new legislation has been introduced in a piecemeal fashion, the result has been that UK consumer rights are governed across a multitude of complex laws. This has arguably caused widespread confusion for consumers, who have been unclear as to what their rights are, and caused difficulties for retailers, who have been required to ensure that contracts and sales procedures comply with each new piece of legislation.

Autumn 2015

Nutrient profiling

Lawyer Philip Harmer – Senior Partner at Stormcatcher Business Lawyers – looks at the recent decision not to repeal the EU Nutrition and Health Claims Regulation

Nutrient profiling seems in principle to be a ‘no brainer’ in the pursuance of promoting healthy living and combatting obesity and disease.

The underlying premise of the EU Nutrition and Health Claims Regulation 2006, long since adopted in the UK and a handful of other countries, is threefold: to ensure that processed foods are clearly and fairly labelled according to their sugar, salt and fat content; to prevent brands from making spurious health claims; and to prevent marketing to children. An initial deadline of 2009 was set for the creation of these nutrient profiles.

However despite the application of simple logic and the 2006 European Regulation the majority of EU member states have failed to implement nutrient profiling.

Summer 2015

In with the new

Joanne Hill has rebranded and re-launched this Bramhall health store, transforming it into an award-winning success story

Amaranth was founded in 2008 by Alexandra Worsley, a homeopath and a chemist, under the name Alexandra Worsley Homeopathy. I joined in 2010, initially as a Nutritional Therapist and then as store and clinic manager.

In late 2012 Alexandra decided she wanted to move on, so I took the opportunity to buy the business. I knew that I wanted to make the store my own, but I also realised that it was important to do this gradually, so that our loyal customers understood the changes.

Buy your shop with your pension

Whether you own your shop premises or rent, using your pension to ‘buy’ the property could add up to great business sense

Many independent health food retailers are already fortunate enough to own their properties from which they trade. Many more would like to do so, but few are aware that if they ‘sold’ their business premises to their pension scheme there could be significant financial advantages.

Spring 2015

Boosting natural beauty sales - as easy as 1, 2, 3

Graeme Hume, managing director of Pravera, takes a look at how simple categorising of your natural skincare offering can improve sales and attract customers.

Autumn 2014

Skincare – know your customer: Want to improve your skincare section? First understand your market...

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Summer 2014

Success on the menu: Reinventing Toucan Wholefoods during the recession has paved the way for further expansion

Spring 2014

How it should be (hiSbe): an alternative supermarket that should furrow some brows at Tesco

Read other Business Development Articles here: 2013 | 2012

Business Development

Spring 2016