SMALL BUSINESS BRITAIN FEATURE
Supporting small businesses
Arun Bhatoye, head of marketing at Hisense UK, highlights the support businesses can provide consumers amidst the challenging cost-of-living crisis.
s the cost-of-living crisis continues to pinch consumer incomes, businesses are having to adapt to a shift in buying habits.
How did it begin and why was it started? Michelle Ovens CBE: Small Business Britain aims to occupy a unique and optimistic space in the sector. We believe in offsetting the ‘doom and gloom’ that can often prevail about small businesses, challenging the stereotypes about entrepreneurship and what it means for a business to be successful. While small businesses have undoubtedly been through the toughest of times recently, all too often we hear of the fragility of small businesses. What we don’t hear about is their resilience and strength, the harm of digital disruption or the fact that the independents are pioneering change. Small Business Britain is all about telling powerful and inspiring stories that champion the success of small businesses in the UK today.
What support does Small Business Britain provide? Michelle Ovens CBE: Small Business Britain supports small businesses
30 | March/April 2023 30 | January/February 2023
Consumers are looking for energy-efficient, cost-efficient products, and it is the responsibility of the business to make their customers aware of which products fit these criteria. Arun Bhatoye, head of marketing at Hisense UK, says “Here at Hisense, we have always championed manufacturing products that are affordable yet high- quality, and this is more important than ever as we head towards the winter months amidst a national cost-of-living crisis. Right now, it is our number one priority to help the nation to understand how to best use their appliances to continue with their necessary household chores and reduce their bills as much as possible.” Founded over 50 years ago, Hisense is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of televisions and home appliances. Hisense has a core range of televisions and cooling appliances alongside a portfolio of cooking and laundry products featuring hobs, hoods, ovens, dishwashers and washing machines. Educating the consumer Bhatoye says “As energy bills soar to an all-time high, monitoring our gas and electricity usage has never been more important, and so consumers are looking for alternative solutions to cut down on their energy usage – and in turn, their energy bills. This doesn’t mean that consumers aren’t buying, but the path to purchase is much more considered. Customers
What does Small Business Britain do? Michelle Ovens CBE: Small Business Britain supports 5.5 million small businesses in the UK – no matter their location, sector, or ambition level. Through a series of reports, events and campaigns, Small Business Britain champions, inspires and accelerates small businesses in the UK to foster growth and increased confidence. Through campaigns, training and insight we celebrate the inspiring people running small businesses in the UK today, and manifest positive ambition about their value and potential.
Small Business Britain founder, Michelle Ovens CBE highlights the support available for small businesses in the UK through campaigns and training programmes.
Combat the Crisis A
through three core aspects which are always completely for free. We champion small businesses through high impact campaigns that engage national and local government, small and large businesses, media and consumers on a range of issues that matter to small businesses – from weathering a recession, to environmental sustainability, diversity and inclusion, to mental health. This includes iconic awareness campaigns and national awards programmes, to targeted programmes that support and connect diverse entrepreneurial communities that can lack visibility and support. We run a number of
look to invest in appliances that achieve the best results whilst using the least amount of energy, to help with cutting down bills. During the cost-of-living crisis, retailers and suppliers should be looking at ways in which they can help educate and inform their customers on the best appliances for their individual needs, and support them as much as possible to find the most cost-effective solution. Here at Hisense, energy efficiency has played a large role in product development as we look to new launches in future years. “It’s likely that any appliance which doesn’t need to be switched on for a long amount of time during usage, for example a microwave or toaster is the most efficient small appliance, as it only uses energy whilst it is switched on. It’s also very much dependent on usage – every household is different and has different needs. For example, single-person households may have a large capacity oven and batch cook to make the most of their oven being turned on, whilst larger families might opt for a larger capacity washing machine to bundle loads together. Generally speaking, tumble dryers tend to be the most expensive appliance to run, so switching up this part of your laundry routine to drying your clothes on a traditional clothes horse or drying rack is an easy way to help cut down your energy bills. Of course, defining what the most expensive appliance to run will ultimately come down to usage habits. If you have a larger household, it’s likely to be more cost-effective to invest in a larger capacity washing machine, so that you can fit more clothes in one load,
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