7 March 2023
NHBF at Professional Beauty 2023
The stages were set, the cupcakes were stacked, and the doors opened wide as the NHBF joined hundreds of brands and businesses in this year's Professional Beauty exhibition at the ExCeL London.
Thousands of members of the hair and beauty industries descended on London over two jam-packed days to view the newest trends, learn about business solutions, and listen to expert panels discussing a range of issues currently affecting our industry. The NHBF, who sponsored the Business panel stage, met with Members, brands, and partners.
To watch highlights from the event, please visit our Instagram page at @NHBFSocial.
Help to Grow: New Government help for small businesses
The Department for Business and Trade launched a new Help to Grow website that brings all the Government's online business, finance, growth, and export support together into one place. The new Help to Grow website offers a wealth of free, practical, and easily accessible advice to help start-ups, self-employed people, and small business owners on a wide range of topics.
Free advice on how to develop your workforce through apprenticeships
Skills Development Scotland is offering a series of free online events for employers with information on funding apprentices, how they can solve recruitment challenges and first-hand accounts of how apprenticeships work.
The series provides step-by-step advice and practical support to help employers get involved in apprenticeships.
Topics covered will include:
- Insights into changes in the labour market
- Mentoring
- Employer participation in apprenticeships
- Advantages of employing an apprentice
- Foundation, modern and graduate apprenticeships
Business Energy Scotland service will support SMEs
The Scottish Government’s energy efficiency support and advice service for Scotland’s small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) will continue as Business Energy Scotland from 1 April 2022.
The new service will be managed by Energy Saving Trust and become part of the suite of energy advice and support already delivered via Home Energy Scotland (the domestic energy advice service) and Local Energy Scotland (providing support to community organisations).
Business Energy Scotland will provide a substantial free advice and support package to Scottish SMEs to help improve energy efficiency and decarbonise heating in their premises. The two main offers of support are:
- An initial ‘energy opportunities’ assessment to identify where and how savings can be made.
- A comprehensive report including a potential site visit to highlight possible improvements and sources of funding.
Until 1 April, SMEs can contact the Energy Efficiency Business Support service for advice and information at https://energy.zerowastescotland.org.uk/
Campaigning for you
The NHBF had a meeting with the Minister for Retail and the Personal Care sector, Kevin Hollinrake, this week through our active membership of the Independent Retailers Confederation (IRC). The group had the opportunity to raise a range of issues, including future targeted support on energy bills, particularly for businesses locked into higher contracts.
The NHBF asked specifically about current challenges around skills shortages. The Minister said some incentives might be offered to encourage older, currently inactive workers back into the workplace through the Spring Budget next week. He was also concerned about current affordability issues with Apprenticeships, with 50% of businesses saying through the most recent NHBF State of the Industry quarterly survey that they either would or are considering letting apprentices go because of cost pressures on the business. We will follow up with further briefing on this.
In general, the Minister said that he is focused on creating a fair and level playing field between online and businesses on the high street, stability for business and is also working on a business scale-up strategy. The group will meet with the Minister going forward on a quarterly basis.
NHBF have also received a response from James Cartlidge MP, Exchequer Secretary to HM Treasury, to a recent letter with our current asks of the Government around energy bills support, business rates relief, employer incentives for apprenticeships, National Minimum Wage/National Living Wage rates, VAT reform and tackling tax evasion. We will continue our dialogue with the Government on these points.