Bira member magazine

Members hoping to secure a reduction in their business rates are urged to contact their local authority or council to find out how the reduction will be applied.

Online marketplaces offer independent bricks-and-mortar retailers an impressive platform from which to sell not but nationally, but globally. Would any of these be appropriate for your store?

In some companies, staff training is simply limited to watching an induction video about health & safety. Thankfully many Bira members appreciate the benefits that professional staff development can provide, especially in specialist fields such as visual merchandising.

So how can Bira members continuously remind shoppers to use their local independent retailers, to buy something and to keep money in the local economy? Here, we take a look at a few campaigns that seem to be working.

Bira Direct is continuing to work hard to support members by working with a wide range of suppliers, brands and products, from fashion accessories to ironmongery, all with preferential terms.

Retailers looking for an alternative to the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations, which oblige them to take back old equipment when a customer buys a new equivalent, can join the Distributor Take-back Scheme (DTS).