Pro Installer July 2016 - Issue 40 | Page 44

44 JULY 2016 PRO INSTALLER PRO BUSINESS www.proinstaller.co.uk 370,000 SMALL BUSINESSES PLAN TO CEASE TRADING With 1 in 5 businesses struggling to handle the increased burden of red tape, is it time for further support for the nation’s small businesses? Over 1.8 million jobs are at risk as 370,000 small businesses plan to cease trading over the next five years, according to a survey commissioned by business for sale marketplace, Bizdaq (www. mybizdaq.com). TO STAY OR WALK AWAY? The research, conducted by Opinium, found that over 370,000 small businesses are planning to simply cease trading in the next five years, with these businesses employing 4.85 employees on average. A further 424,000 business owners plan to exit their business by selling within the next five years; selling being a method which is far more likely to protect jobs. Of the 1.8 million jobs that could be affected, 370,000 of those will be within the next 12 months, as small business owners start to cease trading. The survey found that business owners in London are most likely to be thinking about an exit within the next five years. 43% of London small business owners considering an exit, whilst those in the East of England are happiest running their businesses with only 11% of owners considering exiting. Interestingly, the revenue of businesses didn’t have an impact on whether an owner was planning to leave – the East of England had both the lowest exit rate and the lowest average revenue, whilst the East Midlands, which had the highest average revenue, was second only to London for business owners looking to exit. CAPITALISE AND SAVE JOBS Sean Mallon, CEO of Bizdaq, said: “It is astonishing, given the government’s rhetoric around job creation, that little is being done to preserve the number of jobs at risk within ‘little is being done to preserve the number of jobs at risk within Britain’s small businesses’ Britain’s small businesses. If the government were to make leaving a business easier and promote this as the ‘norm,’ then hardworking small business owners could capitalise on their efforts and we could retain over 1.8m jobs - it’s a winwin situation.” Bizdaq, the online marketplace for selling or buying a small business, is dedicated to making the process of selling a business easier and more cost effective for small business owners. Bizdaq features include an online valuation tool that instantly estimates the likely sale value of any business, step-by-step instructions and notifications to help business sellers and buyers through the business transfer process for them- selves. This report is part of Bizdaq’s mission to increase the number of small business owners successfully selling their business and thus avoiding a sudden closure when the business is no longer viable, saving jobs and enabling business owners to realise the value of their hard work. Source: www.mybizdaq.com Celebrations mark three decades in the UK PVCu systems supplier The VEKA UK Group is marking its 30th year of manufacturing in the UK with a host of celebrations. VEKA began manufacturing in Burnley in 1986, with just four extrusion lines. The company has now become the UK’s largest supplier of PVCu window profile and one of the local area’s biggest employers, with 34 extrusion lines and around 400 staff. Last year alone, The VEKA UK Group extruded more than enough PVCu profile to circle the globe. MD Dave Jones has been with the company for 22 of its 30 years and believes that The VEKA UK Group’s success can be largely contributed to its ‘partnering’ approach with customers. “As a company, we understand that our value is entirely in the hands of our customers. If we’re not providing the perfect products for the market, we don’t deserve to succeed. That’s why we develop our PVCu systems and services based on the valuable feedback our customers provide. “Over the years, we have continuously invested in plant, people and technology to maintain our industry-leading position. In 2014, we invested £5m in building the country’s most technically advanced mixing plant here at our Burnley HQ, which has a potential capacity of 72,000 tonnes and allows The VEKA UK Group to have even greater control over quality, service and efficiency. Business Secretary Vince Cable attended the official opening and described the addition of this state-of-the-art plant as ‘a European success story’. “After three decades of UK design and manufacture, we have absolutely no intention of slowing down. At this year’s FIT Show, we were proud to unveil a host of innovative, new systems and services that received extremely positive feedback and are already being adopted by fabricators up and down the country. “The entire team works so hard that, in my opinion, it’s no surprise that The VEKA UK Group claimed Burnley’s ‘Business of the Year’ Award once again at the end of last year. “We’ve achieved a huge amount in the past 30 years, and we have lots of developments in the pipeline for the next 30 years. We continue to proudly invest in UK manufacturing, striving to unveil more innovative and energy-efficient products than ever before.” The VEKA UK Group marks the anniversary with a celebratory staff event at Burnley FC’s Turf Moor - including a visit from the Global VEKA Group’s CEO Andreas Hartleif - a promotion in the local paper, a family fun day at the plant, and the official unveiling of the new M70 profile system. www.vekauk.com