August was seemingly another slow month for retailers. The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has reported sales dropped once again, and blamed the sunny weather and Olympics dominating the television for the end of summer slow-down.
Sales dropped 0.9% on a year earlier in like-for-like terms, which was the weakest performance since April. A worry for businesses right around the country as they edge into the final quarter of the year, Midland Pallet Trucks, one of the country’s largest providers of pallet trucks, stackers and lift platforms, has encouraged businesses to stay focussed and not cut any corners, such as slacking on training and best practice processes in order to ensure they stay competitive by cutting down on potential workplace risks.
There were 76,054 non-fatal injuries to employees reported in 2014/15, which caused an estimated 4.1 million working days lost. This averaged out at 6.7 days per case and cost UK-based businesses billions of pounds in sick pay and legal costs. Keeping training up to date has been proven to cut down on the amount of workplace injuries, and as a result, minimise the amount of sick days incurred by employees.
Phil Chesworth, Managing Director at Midland Pallet Trucks, said, “Maintaining training and reiterating best practice processes is so important for businesses all year round to cut down on accidents in the workplace. However with the retail landscape looking less than fruitful at present, tasks such as these can take a backseat.”
All large commerce companies have warehouses and factories where they keep goods. And as a result, warehouse equipment is imperative to ensure products can be moved to store or customer in a timely manner. All workplaces must meet certain training standards, but for those who employ material and manual handling staff, these are heightened.
“Initial training and refresher courses are a must for all types of businesses,” added Phil. “However these often get pushed back as more time-sensitive projects take hold. And this is when accidents are most inclined to happen. Implementing training calendars will help businesses to keep on top of these and make sure that they have one less thing to worry about in the run-up to the busy end of the year.”
Home accessories, toys, baby equipment and furniture all suffered in August, while clothes sales also took a dive as the warm weather all but eliminated demand for new autumn clothes. There was some positive news for retailers however as the more seasonable warm weather boosted sales of barbecues and wine. Jewellery and watches were the strongest performing category for the second month running, as tourists made the most of the suffering pound to snap up cheaper luxury goods.
The Midland Pallet Trucks’ team has a wealth of experience, knowledge and expertise about manual handling and training. Stocking a huge range of quality manual handling equipment for use in warehouses and storage facilities, and ideal for a range of sectors, they can help put business owners’ minds at rest and ensure accidents and injuries are the last thing on their mind.