Current Affairs

Retail associations respond to ‘encouraging’ Autumn Budget

A number of retail associations have responded positively to the Chancellor’s Budget which was revealed yesterday (22 November). The British Retail Consortium (BRC) and NFU Mutual reacted to the announcement that the move from RPI to CPI indexation will be brought forward by two years to 2018, allowing for a…

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Jewellery dealer loses £1m worth of precious stones in train theft

A jewellery dealer has lost a suitcase containing over £1m of precious stones, as it was stolen from a luggage rack on a Virgin train service. The 35-year-old dealer was travelling on the 7.03pm London Euston to Birmingham New Street commute on Wednesday 8 November, with the suitcase which contained…

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Ray Bushell of Euro-Cast loses battle with cancer

Ray Bushell, well-known entrepreneur who founded Euro-Cast in Carver Street, sadly passed away aged 76 after a six month battle with cancer. Euro-Cast (Birmingham) was one of Europe’s leading casting companies and was established 45 years ago. Bushell began his career in the jewellery trade shortly after leaving school at…

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Watchfinder sponsors England for 2017 Rugby League World Cup

Pre-owned watch specialist Watchfinder has teamed up with England Rugby League to support the nation throughout its Rugby League World Cup 2017 campaign in Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. The Maidstone-based company’s logo will be displayed on the right sleeve of England players’ shirts for the upcoming tournament,…

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No reason Brexit deal will not be successful, says Merkel

There is “zero indication” that Britain will walk away without a Brexit deal, although the next phase of Brexit negotiation talks will be “a bit more difficult” says Angela Merkel. Speaking during a dinner in Brussels, the German chancellor said there is “zero indication” that Brexit talks will fail and…

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Bank of England launches new Banknote Checking Scheme

The Bank of England’s new Banknote Checking Scheme was launched on 10 October. The Scheme is aimed at cash-handling businesses and promotes banknote checking at point of sale through targeted training. Its aim is to reduce the number of counterfeit notes being accepted and to reduce losses to businesses. Any…

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Jewellers’ customer data at risk from new EU legislation

Customer engagement specialists, Redblok, have warned that many business owners are unaware of new EU data protection legislation that will impact how businesses in the jewellery and luxury goods sectors can collect, retain and process their customers’ data. The General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) will come into force on 25…

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Shops lose £800m to shoplifters every year

Britain’s shops collectively lose £800m per year due to shoplifting, claims Checkpoints Systems. Shoplifting is one of the most common crimes committed by opportunist thieves. Utilising data derived from data.police.co.uk, OnBuy.com investigated the total number of shoplifting offences that were recorded by 43 police forces/constabularies across England and Wales in…

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Only one week left to use old £1 coin

There is just one week remaining to use the old £1 coin before businesses stop accepting them. The new coin, which was released earlier this year, will be the only form of legal tender for the currency as of 16 October 2017. After that date, most banks and post offices…

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What you need to know about the new £10 note

A new £10 note is due to be released on 14 September, following on from the new £5 note introduced last year. Like the £5, the £10 will be printed on polymer in a bid to be cleaner, safer and stronger than paper notes. The new notes will be smaller…

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