Fair Trade Retailer ‘Shared Earth’ backs Leeds Young People in Pitch for Change!

On Friday 11th December, 5 teams of young people pitched their ideas for improving their community to a panel of local business representatives and received a total of £2165 in funding for their projects.  Jeremy Piercy, Shared Earth Founder and Managing Director, was among the panel of ‘Dragons’ charged with allocating the funding. The teams of young people were grilled by the panel of business ‘dragons’ which also included: Yorkshire Bank partners Ken Williams and Mike Hardy; Nicky McEnery, Recruitment manager for TD Waterhouse; and Julie Cullen, Regional Cares Manager for Business in the Community.

Youth charity organisation Envision works with over 200 young people aged 16-19 every week in 16 of Leeds’ schools and colleges, supporting them in developing and implementing community projects. Five of the Envision School Teams were selected to pitch their project ideas to a panel of local business representatives in order to receive funding for projects which benefit their local communities.  Envision are working in partnership with the enterprising community organisation Tiger11, who hosted the Pitch 4 Change at Hillside in Beeston.

Schools’ success:
· The Envision Team from Priesthorpe School secured £500 in funding to produce a documentary which gets to the bottom of the social divides in their local area, by highlighting inconsistencies within media reporting, misconceptions, stereotypes and ignorance. They hope that by focusing on what we have in common they can help bring people together.
· The “Wastebusters” from Abbey Grange School nailed £250 in support for their ‘project which will tackle the problems of waste and littering both school and the community, by introducing better facilities and running a publicity campaign.
· Pudsey Grangefield School earned full funding of £500 for their anti-bullying initiative, and will use the funds to train up senior students who will act as mentors for younger children who are being bullied.  The judges were impressed by the team who had already made a film and a presentation about the effects of bullying which they are currently showing to younger years.
· The Make a Difference (MAD) Crew from Primrose High were awarded £415 in funding for the celebration of culture and religion which they are organising for their school.  They hope it will promote greater community cohesion within the school and beyond into the local community. 
Lawnswood School’s Envision team were thrilled to be awarded £500 in order to run an exciting programme of arts and sports activities for children in under privileged areas, providing the children with the chance to spend time with older young people who are positive role models, whilst having lots of fun!

To see more pictures and have more information about this event visit http://envision.org.uk/events/247 and http://envision.org.uk/businesses/pitch4change/leeds

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Giftfocus - December

The UK is one of the world’s leading fair trade markets. No longer fringe products confined mainly to food, fair trade goods are becoming increasingly mainstream covering everything from jewellery to tableware and Christmas decorations. We showcase just some of the companies helping to tip the balance…

The high street has had to take note – the consumer wants choice and that includes fair trade goods.
Not just tokenism – they want quality, contemporary merchandise with reputable credentials that make a positive contribution towards helping to tackle poverty in developing countries.
Shopping with conscience is a force to be reckoned with in the modern marketplace and even in the recession the public has continued to buy fair trade goods.
The Fairtrade Foundation’s latest research shows continued consumer confidence and business support for Fair Trade in the UK.
Harriet Lamb, the foundation’s executive director said at its annual commercial conference recently: “Over the last 15 years we have seen fair trade spread through the business world, with pioneer dedicated companies first taking the lead, retailers taking up the baton and now major multinationals joining the race. More and more companies are now upping their game on fair trade.”
Worldwide sales of fair trade products grew by 22 per cent in 2008 as consumers spent an estimated 2.9 million Euro on fair trade products globally. In the UK sales of fair trade certified products increased by an impressive 43 per cent notching up record sales of over £700 million.
Harriet Lamb added: “We’re delighted that the growth of 43 per cent in fair trade sales keeps us on track with our plan to double the impact of fair trade by 2012. In the current global economic climate, farmers need fair trade more than ever. So it is profoundly reassuring to know that globally, consumers are still wholeheartedly backing a better deal for farmers and workers around the world.”
Leading UK pioneer Jeremy Piercy founded fair trade suppliers and retailers Shared Earth in 1986 when he opened his first shop in York. He is one of the early trailblazers who helped to get fair trade off the ground.
He comments: “Fair Trade sales have gone up by about 40% every year over the past 6 years in the UK. It is very much a growing trend, not a fashion that’s going to go away next year.”
He explained that with food products fair trade was easier to monitor with growing public awareness of the FAIRTRADE Mark, but with gifts it was harder, due to the nature of the market.
However, there are a number of recognized networks such as the British Association of Fair Trade Shops (BAFTS) and the International Fair Trade Association (IFAT) that operate monitoring systems.
You can find out more about these organizations at www.ifat.org and www.bafts.org.uk.
The process of agreeing international fair trade standards can’t take time, and for some products, particularly crafts and other items made by small-scale artisans, there may not yet be standards available to certify them. Some companies promote their own “fair trade” credentials without independent certification.
Jeremy advises: “You can tell a lot by just asking questions. People tend to be passionately committed to these values. Generally you can get a very good idea by talking to people whether they really mean it or they are just trying to make money.”
Over the years he has witnessed marked improvements in the range of fair trade products available, particularly in terms of style, quality and design.
He believes the recession may well have actually helped improve standards, due to increased competition.
“There’s lots more people wholesaling fair trade products now therefore more pressure to improve,” he added.
Jeremy has written a book called “Coffins, Cats and Fair Trade Sex Toys” published by Quick Brown Fox Publications, which offers a unique insight  into the fair trade world.

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Gifts Today - December

Job satisfaction is often considered irrelevant if you’re the owner of a gift shop. But in reality, it’s vitally important, writes Jeremy Piercy.

Q. Do you enjoy your job?

This is not the sort of question a consultant would usually ask a retailer – or a wholesale for that matter. It’s the kind of question you’d expect to get asked when you phone the Samaritans or go to see a psychiatrist because you’re feeling depressed.
So why ask it? Well, I won’t say that you have to enjoy your job to run a successful business. But I will say it gives you a much better chance. For a start, it gives you a lot more energy, so you get a lot more done, which of course saves wages.

Shared Earth has just opened two new shops in Brighton and Canterbury, which we’re running as franchises. I’ve rarely seen a living dynamo like our new franchise in Canterbury. He’s so keen that you’ve hardly finished suggesting he should do something that it’s already been done. He’s already reporting fantastic sales. Would they have been as good without his enthusiasm? I doubt it.

If you enjoy what you do, you also convey your feelings to the people around you, and in the gift trade this of course includes customers. You become more friendly, helpful and attentive, and you sell more, because your customers like you. There’s a stall in York market which until recently had a sign above it, “Service with a Smile”. Wonderful sentiments! The only thing is, I’ve never seen the couple who run it smiling. I wonder whether that’s why they took the sign down. I stopped buying from them when they complained because I was choosing my apples to check they were not bruised. “Do you mind?” I was told in an angry voice, as if it was a crime. “Just take what you get!” Their stall is often empty. In contrast, a nearby stallholder who’s always friendly attracts a roaring trade. 
 

One of our suppliers, Agung Alit in Bali, Indonesia, has built up a big Fair Trade business. Is this despite the fact that he’s always joking, or because of it? The first time our buyer went out to Bali, he was careful to dress smartly, despite the heat. Agung sauntered out to meet him, dressed in a T-shirt and surfing shorts. “Why so formal?” he asked, laughing. “You think I’m some kind of businessman or something?” Agung later told me how he started up his business. “I went to see some producers to tell them how they could benefit from Fair Trade. But they thought I was some kind of weird hippy. Maybe my hair was too long? So I got Hanni, my wife, to take me again in her posh car. She always dresses smartly too. “Hanni’s an important buyer,” I told them. “She’s an agent for some large companies in Europe and America. They could be placing some big orders.” He laughed at the memory. “They then started treated me seriously.”
He recalled his visit to Shared Earth a few years ago. “I think you must be very good at recruitment, Jeremy,” he said as we walked to the pub with some of our staff at the end of the day. I was flattered, and smiled. “Your staff are very friendly,” he continued, and went on, “very beautiful – I like. Your designers – wahey! When can I come back to see them again?”

The moral of this story? Don’t get bogged down in marketing, ordering and cash flow projections. Certainly they’re important, but enjoy your life too! You’ll motivate your staff better, you’ll be more creative, and you’ll attract more customers! We live in a materialistic society where for most people a higher wage, a better house and a more expensive car are more important than a job you enjoy and a happy life at home.

Yesterday, I led a workshop in Leeds for teenagers from different schools who were all concerned about ethical issues like racism, climate change and unjust trade. One wanted to be an accountant, another an actor – one girl even wanted to be a fighter pilot. “Having ideals is great,” I said, but whatever you decide to do – make sure you enjoy it. In the end, you’ll find that’s far more rewarding than making money.”

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