Month: April 2021

A specially created shopping list covering everything you’ll need for outdoor trading in hospitality.

As of Monday 12^th April, restaurants, bars, cafes and other food and drink establishments were legally allowed to reopen their doors to customers on the proviso that guests were seated outside and were served at their table.

For many in the hospitality industry, whilst this was good news, it came with an added cost. Those who hadn’t previously had an outdoor area needed to not only apply for a licence to trade outside, but invest in new furniture, safety equipment and more.

The good news is, those in Bradford are now able to reclaim some or all of those costs thanks to the introduction of the Bradford Council Outdoor Trading Grant.

AND, with applications open until 31^st May, those who haven’t yet made their purchase, still have time to do so.

As purchases must be made before applying, we’ve created a dedicated shopping list covering everything you’ll need to offer outdoor dining and drinking, all under the £1,500 allowance and terms of the grant.

Outdoor Trading Shopping List

Whether you’re a bar, restaurant, café or other establishment, the environment you create for your customer must be right or you run the risk of losing out on their valued custom. So, let’s explore how we can create the perfect environment.

Tables

https://www.diy.com/departments/agad-wooden-picnic-bench/1573263_BQ.prd

Shelter

Next on the list, presuming you haven’t blown the budget on the wooden tables, is a shelter to protect your customers from the rain – we are in Britain after all.

Tong Garden Centre has this handy pop-up gazebo, perfect for outdoor drinkers and diners. At just £269, it’s a bargain!

https://www.tonggardencentre.co.uk/shop/products/parasols-and-gazebos/got-it-covered-pop-up-gazebo-grey.html

Or, perhaps if you need a couple, you could opt for B and M stores budget option coming in at just £80.

https://www.bmstores.co.uk/products/garden-party-marquee-6-x-3m-36673

Menus

Paper menus are the safest way to minimise the spreading of germs. Sure, you can clean down plastic menus, but why not opt for the safe option and get paper menus you can shred and recycle after use.

There’s a number of options we’ve found:

For just £60, you can purchase 250 menus in colour printed on both sides at Print Bradford https://www.printbradford.co.uk/

Or, if you want to put in a bulk order, why not head to Cheap Print Online where you can buy 10,000 for just £349

https://www.cheapprintonline.com/.

Sanitiser

COVID-19 hygiene practices must still be adhered to, so why not make it easier for guests to follow with the introduction of more outdoor sanitisers?

They come in at just £125+VAT each over at Sign Holders

https://www.sign-holders.co.uk/virus-protection/hand-sanitiser-solutions/foot-operated-hand-sanitiser.html 

Barriers

If you’re planning on using space on council land, such as outside your property and not on within enclosed gardens, barriers are a must. We found these cute little barriers over at Nisbets, which come in a variety of colours and cost just £81. 58

https://www.nisbets.co.uk/bolero-black-canvas-barrier/cf137?cm_sp=Peerius-_-productRecsTop-_-image.

Lighting

Lighting is essential for those late-night diners and drinkers. Whilst there are many affordable options, we love these lights at B and M coming in at just £10 each.

https://www.bmstores.co.uk/search?query=outdoor+lighting

These are just a few of the items we’ve found, but if you’re a local business and you’re selling similar items which could be of use, please feel free to let us know and we’ll include your items.

About the Grant

The grant has been introduced by Bradford Council for Bradford postcode businesses only. Under the scheme, the council is offering local businesses in the hospitality and visitor economy sectors additional new support to cover costs associated with reopening.

Up to £1500 is available to help local small businesses pay for outdoor furniture and equipment which many have purchased to allow them to open under the recently relaxed restrictions. Along with the authority’s new pavement extensions, the Outdoor Trading Grant is designed to assist businesses to operate in Covid-safe open air trading spaces.

Terms and conditions

To be eligible for the grant, you MUST already have or be approved for a licence to trade outside. If you don’t have one, you can apply online here www.bradford.gov.uk/business/licensing/terms-and-conditions-for-an-outdoor-seating-licence.

Any items being claimed for MUST have been purchased already and you’ll need to have the receipts to prove this. Please note, items must have been purchased after February 1^st, 2021.

The Grant cannot fund indoor furniture, outdoor heaters, crockery, cutlery, table linen, glasses, cooking equipment, refreshments, staffing and running costs.

As always, our friendly team is on hand to support with any questions or the advice. Please contact us via the contact us form or email hello@shenward.com.

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This week as part of our ‘meet the people behind Shenward’ series, we caught up with Olivia from our Leeds office to gain insight into why she chose to be an accountant, her life inside and outside of Shenward, and who her dream celebrity client would be.

Tell us about your role at Shenward?

It’s great, I love the variety. Working in the Audits and Accounts department means I primarily spend my time completing client facing work and company secretarial duties. Some days I can have my head stuck into preparing financial statements, other days I will be completing and filing Corporation Tax returns, VAT returns and self-assessment returns. Each year, I also get the opportunity to complete multiple audits for our clients, which I love.

What inspired you to become an Accountant?

There are a few reasons really, the first being that it runs in the family. Both my mum and my grandparents are accountants, so you might say it’s in my DNA!

I also recognised it would be a great career in terms of stability and the fact that whilst on the job you develop a good understanding of what it takes to run a business and the taxes involved, which will be useful wherever I go in life.

What first attracted you to Shenward?

I was instantly impressed by the fact that the Leeds office had a small team. I felt it was possible to really get to know your colleagues because of this. The beauty was, despite it having a smaller team, Shenward still offered the training I needed to get qualified.

During the interview when I learned that my role would involve so many different tasks and responsibilities, I knew it was the role for me. The variety is what keeps an accountant’s job interesting.

What’s a typical day in the office like?

From a work perspective, that’s hard to define. No day is the same in terms of the work I need to do due to the differing client we have on our portfolio. Typically though, the office atmosphere is relaxed, so we are able to chat but also get our heads down and work.

If you weren’t an Accountant, what would you be?

I enjoy working with computers, so maybe something in IT. I’d also like to be an author because I love writing!

Tell us about who Olivia is, what do you enjoy doing etc?

In my free time I enjoy creative writing and playing video games. Family and friends are important to me, so I prior to covid, I would enjoy spending time with them. It’s certainly been difficult over the last year.

Which celebrity would be your ideal client?

Tricky one! They would need to be funny and easy-going, so maybe Dara O’Brien or Bill Bailey.

Funniest moment in your career?

Hard to pinpoint actually. I think the funniest moments come from conversations with my colleagues. We all get on really well, so days are never dull chatting with them.

What one piece of advice would you give to business owners reading this?

Tax planning is EVERYTHING, so make sure you pay attention, it could save you a lot of money!

If you’d like to join Olivia and the rest of our amazing team, please email Sherad@shenward.com to find out more about our current vacancies.

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