The fashion industry has taken a substantial hit during the pandemic. The closure of non-essential stores and limitations on social interaction has created an impassive relationship between consumers, the retail sector, and the fashion industry. The Office for National Statistics reported that retail sales of clothing fell by 27 per cent in 2020 compared to the previous year. The impact of lockdown remains sharp. Even in January 2021, clothing retail sales were 84 per cent below the same month in 2020.
For small and medium-sized businesses focused on trading in both the UK and Europe, it is important to have the right package of intellectual property (IP) protection in place to smooth the way to market and reduce the risk of their innovations being copied by competitors. While Brexit has affected some areas of IP protection – most notably trade marks and registered designs - the process for securing pan-European patents has not changed. However, it still makes sense for businesses to prepare for EU market entry carefully and consider all IP rights as they do so. For SMEs the benefits of IP protection can be considerable. A study conducted by the European Patent Office (EPO) in 2019 found that SMEs that own at least one intellectual property (IP) right are 21 percent more likely to experience a growth spurt. They are also 10 percent more likely to become a high-growth firm.
Emerging out of lockdown, small businesses must, and want, to play a key role in the UK’s journey to net zero, but don't know where to turn when it comes to cutting carbon emissions, finds a report from a coalition of top business groups, energy networks and expert bodies released today.
Employee engagement in the UK and has suffered a marked decline over the past year, according to new research* carried out by Achievers into the state of wellbeing in the ‘new normal’.
The face of online shopping has changed drastically in the past year, and so have our spending habits. Working from home, an influencer influx, and increased savings are just of few of the factors that have altered our shopping preferences – but what impact has this really had? Interested in this, Uswitch.com conducted a survey among 4,380 frequent online shoppers to discover the reality of online shopping in 2021.
A growing number of British online retailers are seeking to ease the extra customs and tax administration and costs involved in trading with the EU by shifting stock from UK warehouses to storage facilities on the Continent.
Civic Tech platform CitizenLab is today announcing a move to open up the core version of its community engagement software, in an effort to equip smaller organisations and communities with the tools to democratise policy-making by involving more citizens. Available from March 31st, the open source code can be found on GitHub, enabling civic organisations to deploy and run their own virtual consultation projects, for free.
Low-CapEx technology is leading SME’s to look at flexible and scalable, warehouse automation as a means to overcoming capacity issues and labour constraints. But how do you ensure a favourable outcome? Here Craig Whitehouse, Managing Director of Invar Integration offers a seven-point checklist for design success.
After COVID-19 forced the UK to stay at home, we have had no choice but to make some changes to our everyday lives. A lot of us have used our time wisely and come up with some quirky ways to continue life as somewhat normal – just with a virtual take on things. Being blessed with the age of digitalisation, our digital devices do just about everything for us at the click of a button.
For decades, virtual reality (VR) was nothing more than a feature of science fiction literature and movies. It has now become a prevailing element of our tech-based societies and is likely to transform our everyday lives in the near future.
During 2020 and 2021, we've seen nostalgia everywhere. It makes sense, right? There's no better time to pine for the past and relive happy memories than when we're stuck at home during lockdown. Nostalgia has made its way into every walk of life, from our wardrobes to our Instagram feeds.
From the outset, COVID-19 has disrupted many industries, retail being just one. With 56% of global retailers reporting moderate disruption to their supply chains and 12% reporting heavy disruption1 the pandemic has led to a need for clear visibility over the structure of supply chains. Warehousing and logistics platform Trident Worldwide discuss everything businesses should know to plan for demand.
