News

02 Feb 12 GA Members Exhibiting at Spring Fair
24 Jan 12 TRADE FAIRS: Giving and Living starts the year with a bang!
The first show of the gift and home year – Giving and Living - which took place in Exeter from 15 – 18 January provided a highly optimistic beginning.
24 Jan 12 TRADE FAIRS: GA member wins Award at largest ever Top Drawer
24 Jan 12 TRADE FAIRS: Positive feedback from Scotland’s Trade Fair Spring
Scotland’s Trade Fair Spring which took place at the SECC in Glasgow from 22 -24 January provided a positive start to the year for gift and home businesses north of the Border.
24 Jan 12 TRADE FAIRS: New Awards and new website for BCTF
The British Craft Trade Fair, which takes place in Harrogate from 15 – 17 April, has revamped its website www.bcft.co.uk to provide more information for both would-be visitors and potential exhibitors alike. The result is very attractive and includes a comprehensive picture gallery of some of the many innovative items that will be on show this year. It is well-worth a look.
24 Jan 12 HIGHLIGHT: GA meeting for creditors of Past Times and Tobar
In response to requests from members The GA is to hold a meeting for those affected by the recent collapse of Tobar (Hawkins Bazaar and Letterbox) and Past Times. Those who attend will have the opportunity to exchange experiences with other creditors and to seek advice from GA solicitors, Richard Bailey, Katy Kidd and Ian Robotham of Steeles Law, about what measures they may be able to take to protect their interests.
23 Jan 12 RedDog Design Ltd one of the winners of Local Business Accelerator scheme
23 Jan 12 Help for Heroes: GA pair push the pedals for charity
GA chief executive Isabel Martinson and chairman Michael Sweeney were so inspired by the work of Help for Heroes co-founders Bryn and Emma Parry that they joined the charity’s 350-mile Bridge Too Far bike ride around Belgium and Holland in September 2010 and between them raised over £14,000 for the charity.
23 Jan 12 NEWS: Your date with the Ad-man, the guru and the retailer
Join us for The GA’s 2012 ‘Members’ Day’ on Wednesday 16 May to network with fellow members and to hear our stunning line up of professional speakers. You are guaranteed a great day out and the chance pick up some top tips on making your own business more successful.
23 Jan 12 NEWS: Gift of the Year Finalists Announced
The Gift of the Year judging panel has finished its deliberations and the fifty one companies that have either won or been highly commended in the 2012 awards have been informed. Check them out now at www.giftoftheyear.co.uk or see them on our fabulous stand at Spring Fair (Hall 7 E30/F31)
23 Jan 12 HIGHLIGHT: Your chance to join a ‘Business Delegation’ to Sri Lanka
The Sri Lanka High Commission in London is organising a UK Business Delegation to its country from 28 – 30 March, 2012 to coincide with the Sri Lanka Expo exhibition in Colombo. The Expo will showcase goods from 300 manufacturing exporters covering everything from Ceylon Tea, through to ethical garments and gemstones as well as giftware, toys and lifestyle products. There will also be exhibitors offering Business Process Outsourcing at the show, which is expected to attract some 1000 foreign visitors.
23 Jan 12 HIGHLIGHT: New IP support for SMEs
New measures announced by the Government at the end of last year look set to assist small and medium sized companies to protect their intellectual property and to expand their businesses.
23 Jan 12 HIGHLIGHT: VAT returns online from April
GA members are reminded that from 1 April 2012, HMRC has ordained that all VAT-registered businesses must send in their VAT returns online and pay their VAT electronically. Currently, only newly-registered businesses, and those with turnovers of more than £100,000, have to file and pay their VAT online.
23 Jan 12 HIGHLIGHT: Government backs innovation and research
The Government has announced a £75 million boost for high-tech small and medium sized businesses as part of a package of measures under its ‘Innovation and Research Strategy’ for Growth.
23 Jan 12 HIGHLIGHT: Grants for training for fast growing firms
If your company is based in England, employs between two and 249 full-time staff and is growing fast, or has the potential for high growth, then you may be eligible to receive a Government grant of up to £1000 to use on management and leadership training.
23 Jan 12 HIGHLIGHT: Quick: the National Fraud Authority wants to hear from you
If you have had a fraud perpetrated on your business, or if you know of any fraudulent activity in the gift and home sector, the National Fraud Authority wants to hear from you by Friday 27 January, 2012.
23 Jan 12 SERVICE: 10% off web design by Skylight Media
Nottingham-based web development company Skylight Media designs, manages and optimises business-to-business and business-to-consumer websites for companies across a range of sectors, but has particular expertise in the greeting card and home furnishing industries. Now this six-strong team, which numbers Caroline Gardner and Clare Maddicott amongst its satisfied clientele, is offering other GA members the chance to benefit from a genuine 10% discount on new website projects booked in before the end of 2012.
23 Jan 12 SERVICE: GA’s Copywatch helping members win IP wars in China
The GA has had feedback from a number of members in recent months about problems with intellectual property issues in China. This is undoubtedly a problem for businesses across the board and is something that is now being discussed at the very highest levels of Government. Indeed plagiarism in China took centre stage in a debate in the House of Lords at the end of last year when Baroness Wilcox, responding to concerns expressed by Lord Cope and Lord Sugar, informed the House that the Government was to host the first UK-China Intellectual Property Symposium in London and that the very first IP attaché to the UK Embassy in Beijing has now been appointed.
23 Jan 12 SERVICE: GA strengthens Copywatch trade mark
The GA has beefed up its Copywatch intellectual property service trade mark with two new straplines for its logo.
23 Jan 12 SERVICE: Cut your overheads now with Costwatch
Let’s face it, in these tricky times when every penny counts, reducing your overheads is a great way to liberate money for other things – like developing additional lines, or commissioning that new website you know you should have but can’t quite afford.