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Business Link Northwest

Free impartial business information and advice

Retail 

The North West boasts a great number of shopping locations and developments and makes a major contribution towards the success of the region's economy.

According to skillsmart retail, the Sector Skills Council in the North West, the retail industry employs over 240,000 people in the region which accounts for nearly 14% of the total retail workforce in England.

To support local retailers we have put together this section to provide easy access to guidance, support and information available in the region.

Business Link Northwest is your free to use, independent business support and information service, why not speak to one of our business advisers to find out what we can do for you? Call us now on 0845 00 66 888 or use our contact us form.

events iconMary Portas masterclasses

A series of masterclasses with retail expert Mary Portas is taking place across the North West, make sure you don't miss out!

guides iconGuidance for retailers

Manage your customer care
Customer satisfaction is crucial to any retailer, find out what you can do to keep your customers coming back

VAT retail schemes
Find out how you could save time and simplify your retail VAT accounting

Pricing your products
Discover different pricing tactics and strategies 

Selling and the law
Find guidance around labelling, customer protection, complaints and many other issues in our information library

Manage your cashflow
Cash flow and short term financing have become a major issue for small businesses in the current climate, visit our cashflow section for useful tips

Marketing on a budget
Take a look at our budget marketing section for useful tips on promoting your business without breaking the bank

info iconSkillsmart retail

Skillsmart retails is the Sector Skills Coundil for the retail sector and provides information and guidance for employers as well as learning providers. Visit the website to find out more. 

Retail week

Retail Week

Solutions for business logoSolutions for business

Leadership and Management
Take up this innovative programme to equip yourself and your management team with the skills to become a better leader and access funding for training.

The Mentoring Programme
Find out if you could benefit from the knowledge of an experienced mentor to help drive your business forwards.

Train to Gain
Find out if you can access funding to support you in training your employees in areas like customers service, administration and retail skills.

Publications and analysis

Download the skillsmart retail report (pdf 384.13KB) covering the sector in the North West.

Find guidance for traders on good practice in giving information about prices (pdf 610.98KB).

Visit the skillsmart website for a number of research reports covering the retail sector.

interactive iconOnline retail

Whether you are already trading online or just thinking about it, our guides to online selling cover everything from creating an online shop to complying with e-commerce regulations. 

tools iconEmploying people

Read our guide to flexible working to find out how it could benefit your business.

Use our free online tool to fulfill your legal requirements to provide your employees with a written statement of employment.

Work out your employees' annual leave entitlement with our online calculator.

Visit the employing people section of our information library for all guides around taking on and managing staff.

Find out how to use Job Centre Plus services to fill your vacancies and get the right person for the job.

Business Link Northwest is a service provided by the Northwest Regional Development Agency
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