'Growth clubs' launched for SMEs

Informal workshops aimed at using big business expertise to lift SMEs out of the doldrums are being launched this month.

Business Growth Clubs - the brainchild of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) - are designed to bring together small firms and give them support and advice from some of the biggest companies in the UK, such as BT and RBS.

Meetings - billed as "informal" and "hands-on" - will be run across all regions of the UK, and will focus on one of six specific topics. These include workshops on banking, finance and money matters, sales and marketing, information and communication technologies (ICT), HR, and innovation and international trade.

BCC managing director John Dunsmore said that the clubs would help businesses "move up to the next level".

"SMEs are operating in a fiercely competitive market and difficult economic conditions," he said.

"It's easy for them to become frustrated or bogged down in the day-to-day pressures.

"However, the current backdrop means it is even more important for businesses to stay focused, innovate and develop new skills to ensure they are fit for the future."

Meanwhile, the latest British Retail Consortium (BRC)-KPMG Retail Sales Monitor suggests an improved outlook for the economy, with consumer confidence said to be "trickling back".

The September figures show a 2.8% rise in like-for-like retail sales values compared to the same month last year. However, the BRC points out that September 2008 was a particularly bad month, as consumers reacted to the emerging turmoil in world money markets.

IMAGE DANIEL KARMANN