Clearview South November 2013 - Issue 144 | Page 89

businessnews

New retail brochure
Halo, a brand of The VEKA UK
Group, has unveiled a newly
updated retail brochure.
The glossy 32-page ‘Designed
for Living’ brochure showcases the
comprehensive range of windows,
doors and conservatories that
Halo systems are able to offer.
A valuable sales tool in the
Halo marketing range, the new
brochure features stylish imagery
and highlighted information
about the levels of energy
efficiency and security features
that can be specified. Other

updates include: explaining the
frame style options, showcasing
the extended colour range and
detailing the various hardware
choices. The information
is presented in a ‘jargon-free’
format to help guide homeowners
in choosing the perfect home
improvements for their
property.
Sales and Marketing Director
of The VEKA UK Group, Colin
Torley, explains: “We felt it was
time to update Halo’s retail
brochure to showcase the broad

product range currently available
from this well-respected brand.
We are committed to offering the
best sales tools for our customers
to attract new sales, and a large
part of this is making sure our
marketing materials reflect the
quality of our products. This
brochure is a glossy update that
shows off Halo’s varied product
range in a simple and accessible
way.”
Halo, 01282 716611,
www.halo-uk.com

STRONGER PROMPT PAYMENT CODE
Commenting on the Business and Skills Minister, Michael Fallon
MP speech to Conservative Party Conference, John Allan, National
Chairman, Federation of Small Businesses, said: “We welcome the
recognition from the Business Minister of the importance of small
businesses for growth and employment, and his commitment to
do more to encourage enterprise and remove barriers to running a
small firm. That is the strong voice our members need at the heart
of Government.
“One issue that needs to be tackled, and highlighted by the small
business people speaking to Conference, is the serious impact late

‘It needs to be able to stop any big
business that tries to squeeze their small
suppliers by extending payment terms’

payments can have on cash-flow. It means firms struggle to pay their
suppliers on time and in some cases can mean they struggle to pay their
staff.
“What we need to see is a much stronger prompt payment code. It
needs to be able to stop any big business that tries to squeeze their small
suppliers by extending payment terms in some cases to as much as three
months.
“To help new entrepreneurs start up, keeping the landscape simple
for Government schemes to help is important, this is why the FSB
has called for a Small Business Administration, modelled on that in
the USA, so new businesses can get help and advice they need to get
going.
“The support from Government to help businesses get off the ground
is welcome. The Minister’s support and focus on small firms shows he is
listening to their needs.”

SMALL FIRMS SPEND HALF A BILLION
ON TAX ADMIN PER YEAR
New research from the Federation of
Small Businesses (FSB) shows the UK’s
small business owners are losing around
12 days a year keeping on top of their tax
administration costing them half a billion
pounds per year.
The FSB’s findings show that half of
respondents spend between two to eight
hours per month understanding, calculating
and completing tax forms. A further 11 per
cent spend between two and six days per
month, hindering their efforts to grow their
businesses.

To read more, visit www.clearview-uk.com

More than three quarters (77%) say they
spend up to £5,000 in addition to their tax
bill paying professionals and for software so
they can keep up-to-date with their latest
obligations.
Further analysis of the data shows that
around two thirds of the respondents
estimate an annual cost of £3,651 spent on
tax obligations, accumulatively this means a
minimum of £490 million per year is spent in
additional costs.
Worryingly, almost a third (30%) of firms
say that cash-flow problems have prevented

them from paying their taxes on time,
while one in five (19%) say that difficulty
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