14 February 2022

Bira held its AGM last month and it was a successful meeting attended by many members. Due to Covid restrictions, it was again a virtual meeting, but technology has developed and we were able to share all the relevant information both before and during the meeting. This AGM was in fact reviewing 2020, but due to delays with auditing accounts, we could not hold the meeting earlier than 2022. We do not expect the same problems when we audit the 2021 accounts and therefore we expect a further AGM in September this year.

At the AGM we approved the annual report, annual accounts, minor changes to Bira’s constitution and most importantly the election of directors. William Coe will continue as Bira’s President until the next AGM. Guy Lachlan will continue as the Vice President and subject to the approval of the members, Guy will take over from William at the next AGM. We are delighted to announce the appointment of 4 new directors – John Jones, Hellen Stirling-Baker, Gary Marsh and Shirley Leader. These new directors have different backgrounds, from different retail sectors and will also bring new skills to the existing Board of Management. For instance, Helen runs a sustainable retail business and she will help Bira and its members move towards net zero.

Unfortunately, John Morris officially resigned from his role as Treasurer, a position he has held since 2014. John is a great advocate of Bira and we would like to thank him for everything he has done to help Bira over the past few years.

The annual report highlighted that 2020, for reasons we all know, was another difficult year for Bira and our members. However, in the second half of 2021, we started to see signs of a turnaround in fortunes, and I am pleased to say that 2021 was in many ways more positive (apart from the ongoing presence of Covid). We are planning to release an overview of 2021 in the near future but we are pleased to say that Bira is now in a much stronger financial situation, enabling us to truly focus on helping independent retailers to be successful.

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