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North Yorkshire cycle hub up for top tourism award

22 Mar 2024

Rob Brown, co-director of Dalby Forest Cycle Hub, a not-for-profit hire scheme has been nominated for the Tourism Superstar 2024 award, run by VisitEngland.
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Independent retail bodies welcome new report aimed at tackling retail crime.

21 Mar 2024

ACS (The Association of Convenience Stores) and the Federation of Independent Retailers (The Fed) have both welcomed a new report published by the Association of Police and Crime... Read more…

Indie retailers outperformed supermarkets in sales of organic food, wellness and beauty products in 2023.

21 Mar 2024

As reported by Healthstores UK, new data contained in the 2024 Soil Association Organic Market report shows that independent retailers delivered an impressive 10% growth in 2023, with... Read more…

Cheltenham beer shop and bar wins top UK award.

21 Mar 2024

An independent bottle shop and bar in Cheltenham has been named as the UK's Independent Beer and Wine Retailer of the Year 2024 at the Drinks Retailing Awards. 
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Welsh Government Announce £20m Future Proofing Fund for Retail Businesses in Wales

21 Mar 2024

A number of organisations, including Bira (the British Independent Retailers’ Association), other trade associations, BIDs and unions have met with officials from the Welsh Government to... Read more…

High Street Faces 'Unprecedented Challenges' says Trade Association

21 Mar 2024

The British Independent Retailers’ Association (Bira) has reacted to data released by PwC and the Local Data Company exploring the state of the UK retail landscape.
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Greeting Card Association expresses concern on new evidence Royal Mail prioritising parcel deliveries over letters.

6 Mar 2024

The Greeting Card Association has reacted to a BBC Panorama programme lifting the lid on Royal Mail management prioritising parcel delivery over letters, which it says are in contradiction of... Read more…

Kate Bush named as Record Store Day ambassador.

4 Mar 2024

Pop star Kate Bush has been announced as an ambassador for this year's Record Store Day, on 20 April.
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Shortlist for Independent Bookshop of the Year 2024 revealed.

4 Mar 2024

The British Book Awards has announced its shortlist for Independent Bookshop of the Year. 
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Local Bike Shop Day 2024 confirmed for Saturday May 4th.

4 Mar 2024

The ACT is happy to confirm the date for Local Bike Shop Day 2024 as Saturday 4 May, the weekend of the early May Bank Holiday.
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Choosing a finance provider, avoid the pitfalls #2

Posted on in Business News, Cycles News

Avoid the pitfalls #2

Following an increase of incoming calls querying finance providers in the cycles market, the ACT are publishing a mini-series to answer the trade's questions.

This second piece in the series explores some of the claims used by a number of finance providers to get more dealers on board and why the unique partnership between V12 Retail Finance and the ACT is so beneficial for retailers.

Advice when you need it

Finance providers are not allowed to provide direct training on how to maximise finance. This is where the ACT can help - enabling you to get the most out of your Ride it away account by providing bespoke training based on your individual requirements.

  • The importance of empowering staff
  • When to introduce finance in your sales process
  • Online integration
  • How to maximise your margins using different finance offerings
  • Upsell, upsell, upsell
  • Bundling products

Contact the ACT now to arrange your training 01273 427 700

No fuss FCA authorisation

You do not need to have FCA authorisation to offer retail finance, but doing so might be better for your business and help protect margins.

The ACT provides a free, unique service other providers do not offer; to help decide if FCA authorisation is right for your business, to assist with getting authorised and helping you to complete your annual return - don't worry the return is only six questions!

Beware of any finance provider that insists you have FCA authorisation. These providers often let you advertise 0% finance to your customers before then signing them up to an APR based product; not exactly the customer journey you would like to be offering. Some even advertise a 0% buy-now-pay-later option that actually becomes a very expensive interest-bearing option if not settled in time. Make sure you give your customers the clarity and customer experience they deserve.

False promises

In a bid to entice retailers to sign up with them, some brokers and providers promise a guaranteed acceptance rate or to increase your current acceptance rate. At face value this sounds great, but it's important to question any provider who even suggests you could get 100% acceptance rate, there are simply always some people who will not qualify for credit!

Remember, reputable finance providers will only accept a customer who can afford it.

Part 3 in the series coming soon!

If you have any queries about the Ride it away scheme or want to arrange your bespoke training you can find out more here or call the ACT on 01273 427 700.

If you missed it, you can read part 1 here.

V12 are the leading provider of finance in the cycles sector, are the number one provider of online POS retail finance in the UK* and are widely accepted as having the ‘best' online integration solution; even by their competitors!

*based on finance and on 4 continuous quarters from FLA

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