30/09/2007 by admin.

Dave Lee Media, in conjunction with Take it to Max will be giving a demonstration at Wrexham Business Week on how using state of the art conference AV equipment can help you achieve your business ambition.

Take it to Max offers bespoke solutions for personal and business development, which empower individuals, teams and businesses to achieve greater self fulfillment and business success. Using the latest conference and AV equipment, supplied by Dave Lee Media, Managing Director Max Bristow, and events manager Becky Wicks, will share their passion for people development in a demonstration that will prove both motivating and inspiring. Join them as they explore how to improve the motivation of employees, increase morale, enhance productivity and ensure increased focus from individuals and teams.

The event is on Thursday 25 October 10am - 12 noon at Wrexham Football Club. Free event but ticket needed. Tickets from Wrexham Tourist Information Centre on 01978 292015. A buffet lunch will be provided.

The Wrexham Business Week 2007 Brochure is now available for download here.

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30/09/2007 by admin.

Welsh First Minister, Rhodri Morgan has praised Wrexham for having a workforce of “incredible enthusiasm” and for the town being an excellent location for high-tech foreign investment.

Mr Morgan’s remarks were made in response to a Question from local AM, Lesley Griffiths during First Minister’s Questions in the Welsh Assembly.

Rhodri Morgan effused praise on the Wrexham workforce and the town’s location, by saying: “I visited not only Sharp but Ipsen Biopharm Ltd with [Ms Griffiths], which has also invested a large sum of money, and that is a testament to the excellent location that Wrexham constitutes for logistical reasons, as well as to the incredible enthusiasm of the workforce in the Wrexham area.

“When presented with challenges they will always rise to meet them, and all credit is due to them-that is the why Sharp felt so confident. Obviously, as Wrexham is not in an assisted area, we are restricted in what we can do. However, where we can, we will certainly help companies like Sharp, Ipsen Biopharm and many other firms in the Wrexham area to continue growing.

Commenting after her Question, Lesley Griffiths said: “When I invited Rhodri Morgan to visit Wrexham earlier this year, he was obviously very impressed by the high-tech nature of manufacturing in the area. Wrexham is in a great location for industry that is why companies such as Sharp, Ipsen Biopharm and Hoya Lenses have located here.”

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29/09/2007 by admin.

More than 60,000 workers in Wales and more than a million workers across the UK, will benefit from an increase in their hourly pay from next week, according to Wales TUC.

From Monday the adult minimum wage goes up to £5.52 an hour, while the hourly rates for 18-21 year olds and 16-17 year olds increase to £4.60 and £3.40.

According to the British Retail consortium the rate of increase in the national minimum wage was up 46% since 1999 and was now seriously slowing the rate of retail job creation. The effects being particularly bad for SME retailers who were spending 25% of turnover on wages.

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29/09/2007 by admin.

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has warned the Government that any plans for a change in tax law aimed at private equity firms could also damage small firms.

The Prime Minister has recently spoken of his desire to change Government policy on certain parts of the tax regime to ensure that private equity is taxed at an appropriate level.

However, small businesses and entrepreneurs also benefit from taper relief on capital gains that could be targeted by these changes. Small businesses - that together employ twelve million people - are concerned that any changes proposed in the forthcoming Pre-Budget Report may stifle their ability to grow instead of addressing concerns about private equity.

The Government has targeted small business growth as a key area for the new Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. However, this will not be achievable if changes in the tax rules from the Treasury hit small firms.

Bill Knox, FSB Taxation Chairman, said:

“The Government will have to tread carefully if it is not to hit small businesses in the crossfire of its proposed attack on the tax regime as it relates to private equity.

“The Prime Minister rightly speaks warmly about the British entrepreneur. However, any changes in the taper relief regime targeted at private equity risk hitting small businesses as well.

“The moves to change tax policy on gains from private equity may also be counter-productive. Few of the people who currently earn large amounts from private equity are domiciled for tax purposes in the UK anyway. But small businesses generate fifty per cent of UK GDP and do pay tax in the UK.”

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29/09/2007 by admin.

The Communications Workers Union (CWU) has announced further strike action in the form of two 48-hour strikes, from lunchtime on Thursday 4th until lunchtime on Saturday 6th October, and from the early hours of Monday 8th until early hours Wednesday 10th October.

This will be followed by an unspecified programme of weekly strikes, starting w/c October 15th, until the resolution of the dispute.

The situation will severely limit Royal Mail’s ability to provide any services for the coming period. Customers should expect severe disruption to all postal services during the strikes and for a significant period afterwards.

Useful link: Parcelsameday Courier Service.

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23/09/2007 by admin.

On September 24 HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) will begin issuing penalty notices to all employers who have not filed their end of year payroll returns (P14/P35). If you receive a penalty notice but believe that no return is due OR you have sent in your return electronically, contact HMRC. It has been identified that some employers have submitted their return in TEST status so they have not been officially sent - HMRC will be able to help you to identify this and resolve the situation.

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21/09/2007 by admin.

The CWU has announced further strike action, in the form of two 48-hour strikes on October 5th - 6th, and October 8th - 9th.

Royal Mail are currently assessing the likely impact on services. Well-developed contingency plans are in place to reduce the effect of the strike, but disruption is inevitable.

Royal Mail’s priorities during the strike are:
• protect vulnerable members of society, who depend on Post Office payments of pensions and social security
• ensure customers can continue to post mail, through the Post Office network
• maintain Royal Mail Special Delivery services wherever possible
• maintain other delivery services wherever possible.

Read more…

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20/09/2007 by admin.

Ruth Badger, the television personality and former The Apprentice runner up will be taking centre-stage at a business dinner. Ms Badger has set up her own consultancy business as well as having her Badger or Bust show on television and she will be guest speaker at a dinner being hosted by Denbighshire County Council at Ruthin Castle on October 4. Businesses interested in attending should email vona.law@denbighshire.gov.uk.

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20/09/2007 by admin.

Wrexham Business Week 2007 brochure now available for download.

Now in its sixth year, Wrexham Business Week has become an important part of the North Wales business calendar. The event offers a range of support and advice to businesses and is designed to cover a wide range of topics. This year features a major training and recruitment fair called Hot Jobs Live, conferences on the manufacturing and health sectors and over 50 other events.

Keynote speaker and celebrity TV chef Antony Worrall Thompson will be sharing his knowledge of the high pressured service industry, while other sessions highlight the importance of team-building with the star of BBC’s The Apprentice Kristina Grimes, and the opportunities that exist for trading across Europe. Business guru Robert Craven will also be making an appearance.

The event runs from 22 October - 26 October 2007.

The Wrexham Business Week 2007 Brochure is now available for download here.

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18/09/2007 by admin.

Welsh businesses can save thousands of pounds by not wasting water, sustainable business advisory body Envirowise has said.

This week is National Water at Work Week and according to Envirowise, companies are wasting water worth the financial equivalent of 85 bottles of champagne an hour.

It claims that £507 million could be saved annually if UK firms took its advice and put in place efficiency measures to better use water.

“Our research shows that many companies don’t view water as a resource, underestimating its value and the volumes they are using and disposing of on an annual basis,” said Envirowise director Dr Martin Gibson.

Released to coincide with the beginning of Water at Work Week, Envirowise’s research claims that 1.3 billion cubic metres of water are being used in British businesses every year, and that this figure could be reduced by almost a third by taking simple water efficiency steps.

“Water at Work Week is about raising awareness of this issue and helping UK businesses make substantial cost savings,” Dr Gibson continued.

Envirowise claims to have already saved British firms more than £1 billion over the last 13 years.

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