Agency worker pensions
From October 2012, all employers will need to change their approach to pensions with the advent of auto-enrolment rules. At present the only obligation is to provide access to a stakeholder scheme by those employers with five or more employees. Currently, employees have to opt in, with many employees choosing not to use this as …
November 30, 2011
Mind the gap
A report earlier this month confirmed that not only had the gender pay gap narrowed but, for workers aged 22-29, it had reversed, with women now out-earning men. Mary Curnock Cook, Chief Executive of UCAS (the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service), discovered that women aged 22-29 were, on average, earning slightly over £10 per hour …
November 30, 2011
Amstel Testing gains UKAS
BHETA member, cookware testing laboratory, Amstel Testing has received accreditation from UKAS to ISO/IEC 17025:2005 as a testing laboratory. QA Manager, Tim Robbins explained the significance of this success: “UKAS accreditation rigorously examines our practices, procedures, equipment and competence by external assessors and effectively confirms our status as the UK’s leading cookware testing laboratory.” As …
November 30, 2011
Jump to It!
BHETA Housewares Director, Will Jones finally got to fall out of the skies in the inaugural Rainy Day Trust tandem parachute jump. This was after having been foiled at the first attempt along with quite a few other volunteers by bad weather. Around 18 brave souls from the housewares and DIY industries took part overall. …
November 30, 2011
Bentley Brushware staff dress up for Children in Need
Employees raise £1,000 in fundraising frenzy on Friday, November 18. Employees donned an array of fancy dress including computer game character Mario and a pink baby, while the sales director even dressed up- as a female sailor. Bentley staff baked cakes throughout the week, took part in a Pudsey and Blush raffle, a Children in …
November 23, 2011
Bosch and Philips sponsor first Ideal Home Show at Christmas
Bosch and Philips were among the big name sponsors of the first-ever Ideal Home Show at Christmas, which kicked off at London’s Earls Court on Wednesday. Celebrity chefs Gino D’Acampo and Gizzy Erskine joined interiors guru Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen to launch the show, which has brought together more than 500 exhibitors and promises to offer consumers …
November 21, 2011
Cable offers cash incentive to take on apprentices
The Government is making it easier for small firms to take on apprentices by providing financial incentives and slashing red tape. To encourage thousands of small firms to hire a young apprentice aged 16-24, the Government will offer employers an incentive payment of up to £1,500, Business Secretary Vince Cable announced this week. An initial …
November 21, 2011
John Lewis launches Christmas ad
John Lewis launched its £6m Christmas campaign today, with a TV advert set to a cover of The Smiths’ ‘Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want’, sung by singer-songwriter Slow Moving Millie. The 60-second advert follows a little boy as he impatiently counts down the days and minutes until Christmas morning. While the …
November 14, 2011
MFI to relaunch online
MFI is preparing to relaunch as an online-only retailer at the end of this month, sources close to the company have revealed. The furniture retailer will once again offer bedroom and bathroom ranges, as well as living room and dining room furniture, but company sources said there would be no kitchens “at this stage”. The …
November 14, 2011
Christmas spending set to slump
Consumers will spend less than last year despite being determined to enjoy themselves After a long and difficult year, Christmas 2011 will bring little relief to UK retailers with retail research agency Decipher forecasting that consumers will spend £200m less than they did in 2010. – Total Christmas spending to fall by 0.6% on 2010 …
November 10, 2011
