More and more British shoppers are now walking to their local shop; according to research commissioned by My Shop is Your Shop and Unilever’s leading brands Flora and Persil Small & Mighty. The research has revealed a short walk to the local independently owned store is saving British shoppers over £2 million per day in fuel costs. Campaigners suggest the credit crunch has combined with increasing consumer awareness of climate change issues and higher fuel costs to offer a platform from... ...Read more »

Peak retail industry body the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) left optimistic the Rudd Government is providing the leadership needed to respond to the global financial crisis following the Small Business Summit on Friday, but added that more could be done to help small business. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Small Business Minister Dr Craig Emerson announced a number of new measures on Friday including: 1. Small Business Support and Advice during the financial crisis from Business Enterprise... ...Read more »

The Federal Government has announced that they will host a Small Business Summit on the global financial crisis in Brisbane this Friday.The forum, organised in collaboration with the Council of Small Business of Australia and Commerce Queensland, will allow small business operators and their representatives to discuss, with the Prime Minister, the impact of the global financial crisis on the small business community. Treasurer Wayne Swan and the Minister for Superannuation and Corporate Law Senator... ...Read more »

Devour Café of Thornbury, Fresh Fish on Line – a Melbourne seafood retailer delivering fresh seafood to customers’ doors and Sprinkle Emporium are the 2008 Businesses of the Year.The Leader Business Achiever Awards are presented across 22 categories, with winners selected from mystery shopping research and Leader readership votes, or by a judging panel. Announced at a gala dinner in North Fitzroy last Thursday night, Mr Helper said the high standard of award recipients reflected the... ...Read more »

Many Australian small businesses are headed for a cash crisis in the wake of the global credit crunch, a CPA Australia survey* has shown. The survey has prompted CPA Australia to produce a guide to help business through tough times. The latest CPA Australia Small business survey showed that cash flow problems and pressure on profit margins were being experienced by many small businesses. Increasing the likelihood of these becoming worse is a finding that many smaller enterprises may not be undertaking... ...Read more »

The ACCI Small Business Survey highlights that small business conditions have continued to deteriorate over the June 2008 quarter with this index falling to 43.4 – its lowest level since this Survey began in December 1996 and over 10 points below its five year average of 54.8. In the midst of continued moderation in employment growth, wage growth moderated slightly but non-wage labour costs continued to increase. The ACCI Small Business Survey also found that: • Business expects a further... ...Read more »

Small Business Minister Margaret Quirk said today that she was relieved that the Rudd Government had recognised the State’s migration needs by committing to develop a migration plan for Western Australia. West Australia’s mining related boom has left many businesses struggling to find suitable staff and the situation has been particularly noticeable in the foodservice industry. “A range of migration options tailored for WA is long overdue and we welcome working with the Federal... ...Read more »

Small businesses thinking about entering into a collective bargaining arrangement can now gain a greater understanding into: the purpose of such an arrangement, how to lodge an agreement and the role of the ACCC in the process thanks to the release of a free booklet by the ACCC. The ‘Guide to Collective Bargaining Notifications’ can be accessed online via the ACCC website.  Read More →