engage magazine issue 001 spring \\\'06 | Página 14

News
14 NEWS FOCUS
News

KPMG Named UK’ s‘ Best Big Company To Work For’

‘ Ethnic entrepreneurs need more support’

- Minority Business Association
KPMG LLP( UK) has been
eight categories: Leadership,
Despite figures stating that
provide assistance for ethnic
named the country’ s‘ best big
Wellbeing, My team, Fair
250,000 ethnic minority
minority firms, is looking
company to work for’ in the
deal, Giving something
enterprises throughout the
to forge stronger relations
prestigious Sunday Times,
back, and Personal Growth.
UK are contributing around
with the Learning and Skills
Best Companies survey. The
During 2005 KPMG extended
£ 13 billion a year to the
Council( LSC) in order to
professional services firm
its existing Managing for
British economy( London
address the skills shortages
topped the‘ big companies’
Excellence programme,
Development Agency),
among ethnic minority
category for organisations
first launched in 2004. The
the Minority Business
groups.
with more than 5,000
programme is an internal
Association( MBA) in North
employees. The Sunday Times
management initiative
Staffordshire believes
The results of the survey
Best Companies Awards
designed to ensure all
young ethnic minority
refer to small businesses
are based on employee
employees with a direct
entrepreneurs need more
in the North Staffordshire
responses to a survey of 70
role in managing people
support to fulfill their
region and were based upon
questions. KPMG came top
have the right support and
potential. The MBA, which
data and statistics submitted
in the following six out of the
tools to be highly effective.
was created in May 2004 to
by 200 companies.

Ethnic minority retailers generate £ 33bn

New research commissioned
are‘ mainstream’ rather than
business networks of Asians,
successful BAME retailers in
by ATL, the Yorkshire-based
‘ niche’ stores mainly serving
Chinese, Middle-Eastern and
West Yorkshire, Birmingham
specialist in diversity and
their own community,
Turkish retailers meant
and Leicester. The Retail Link
enterprise development,
perhaps best known for
they were rapidly developing
programme was funded by
has revealed that the
introducing Asian and
import / export and wholesale
the DTI Phoenix Fund.
68,000 UK retail businesses
other foods to the wider
businesses in competition
The report is the largest
owned by people from
community. Although the
with traditional white-owned
UK study dealing specifically
ethnic minorities are now
average white-owned store
wholesalers. The largest
with the scale of small and
responsible for sales of
was larger than the typical
categories were 366( white),
medium-sized Black, Asian
£ 32.96bn per annum.
BAME store, BAME retailers
337( Asian), 92( black), and
and Minority Ethnic( BAME)
Diversity in Shopping
were actually outperforming
Chinese( 38). The sample
retailers and the issues they
also revealed that ethnic
white-owned stores in
which came from across
face compared with white-
minorities provide more than
general stores, electrical
the UK, was drawn from
owned businesses.
one-in-eight( 12.9 per cent)
goods, furniture, hardware,
all trade groups, including
The research was carried
of the jobs in the retail
and clothing.
supermarkets, convenience
out in February-March
industry- more than
Ethnic minority retailers
stores, pharmacies, jewellers,
2006 by Professor Joshua
373,000 people from all
were more likely to buy
electric shops, DIY and
Bamfield, of the Centre
communities.
direct from overseas than
fashion. Diversity in
for Retail Research at
The report finds that
indigenous businesses( 1 in
Shopping concludes ATL’ s
Nottingham, based on a
55 % of black and ethnic
10) and there was evidence
Retail Link programme for
survey of 1,000 small and
minority( BAME) retailers
that the family, social and
developing and supporting
medium retailers in the UK.
engage SPRING ISSUE 2006