East Lothian Food and Drink Newsletter

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UPDATES

1) On Thursday, Nicola Sturgeon announced a gradual introduction of Phase 2. Unfortunately, it was announced that a date for the re-opening of outdoor hospitality could not be safely set at this stage. A further update will be provided on 2 July. More information about the announcement can be found here.

2) The Scottish Government have issued a set of guidelines to help you get ready for the potential relaunch of tourism on 15 July. You can find the guidelines here.

2) Business Gateway are holding a Panel Discussion on 24th of June from 13.00 - 14.00 on how the tourism sector in Scotland can get back to business safely. You can find out more about the discussion here

3) Businesses who are part of the events and festivals sector supply chain are being asked to respond to an urgent consultation about the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on their organisation as part of an industry-wide approach to recovery. If you are part of the events supply chain, please respond to Visit Scotland's Industry Survey.

4) Scotland Food and Drink are hosting a Virtual Meet the Buyer with Fife Cultural Trust. For more information, click here. Closing date for registering interest is 23rd of June.

FREE WEBINARS

East Lothian Food and Drink are hosting a series of FREE webinars. The provision of these webinars has been enabled by the Scottish Government’s COVID-19 BID Resilience Fund, awarded by Scotland’s Town Partnership.

1) HR Webinar with HR Dept

Ian Pilbeam from HR Dept will be hosting a webinar for East Lothian businesses at 9am on the 25th of June. The webinar will cover some of the key question’s employers may have as they start making plans for bringing staff back to the workplace.

1. How much notice do I need to give an employee if they are to return to work?
2. Can I bring back staff on a part time basis?
3. What should I do if an employee does not want to return to work?
4. How do I ensure that my workplace is as safe as possible?
5. How do I ensure that staff are motivated to return to work after being off for a considerable period.

This webinar will be hosted as a webinar on Zoom. You can register for the webinar
here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_cjiGDJraTQuHvha5F6kv_w

2) PR Webinar with Sherriff & Co

Are you a food and drink business with a story to tell? Are you looking to engage with the press and media?

Robin Sherriff, a food and drink specialist, will be hosting a webinar on Thursday the 2nd of July at 10am, for food and drink businesses based in East Lothian. The webinar will give practical tips on how food and drink businesses can engage with press and

How you can run in house PR
How to contact media outlets and how to gain media contacts.
Practical advice on how to write press releases and talk to the media.
How to make sure you provide the correct message to existing and potential customers.

Please note that spaces for this workshop are limited. This webinar will be hosted as a meeting on Zoom. You can register here:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIlduuqpzwoGdcj_gEcE0qv9LXXPOJxFkKY

3) Social Media Webinar with Sherriff & Co

Does your business use social media? Have you recently invested in an e-commerce site? Are you interested in learning how you can engage with more customers online?

Robin Sherriff, a food and drink specialist, will be hosting a webinar on Thursday the 9^th of July at 10am, for food and drink businesses based in East Lothian. The webinar will give practical tips on how food and drink businesses can use social media to grow their sales and develop customer relationships:

How to convert social to sales.
How you can build a consistent brand story across your social media and e-commerce platforms.
How you can link your brand to your product.
The benefit of online brand collaborations.

Please note that spaces for this workshop are limited. This webinar will be hosted as a meeting on Zoom- you can register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwtd-2tpzoqH9cp48EEW-36dydwbyP25ZZG

NB Distillery Hand Sanitiser

NB Distillery have a special offer available on their hand sanitiser.

5 Litre containers are now £33.29 + VAT.

If you would like to find out more, please contact Rhona Hartley (rhartley@nbgin.com)

General Guidance

findbusinesssupport.gov.scot is an up to date source of information for businesses in relation to Coronavirus. There is also helpline for Scottish businesses that can provide tailored advice on coronavirus, which can be reached on 0300 303 0660 between 08:30 and 17:30 Monday to Friday

1) Health Protection Scotland a dvice and guidance for businesses in non healthcare settings.

2) The Scottish Government's advice on business and physical distancing guidance (updated 19/6)

3) Scotland Food and Drink have a COVID19 hub on their website, which also lists financial supports.

4) Food Standards Scotland have information and Q&A about Coronavirus and food. They have also released COVID-19 Guidance for Food Business Operators and Their Employees to reflect the Scottish Government’s COVID-19 Framework for Decision Making (Scotlands Route Map through and Out of the Crisis). You can find out more about this here. (Updated 19/6)

5) You can find out more about COVID19 Testing in Scotland here.

6) You can find out information about the support available from Companies House for businesses here.

7) East Lothian Council have information about Business Support available to East Lothian businesses on their website. Businesses can also still apply to the East Lothian Council's Expert Help Programme. A range of specialised advice is available through this programme, including HR.

8) You can download a copy of Scotland's route map through and out of the COVID19 crisis here. (updated 18/6)

9) The Scottish Government has released Test and Protect Guidance for employers.

13) The Scottish Government have published guidance for manufacturers and retailers in relation to COVID19 risks in the workplace.

14) The National Cyber Security Centre has issued advice for businesses who have seen their physical premises closed and have moved their operations online.

15) East Lothian Council have put together an information pack to help food businesses plan for their reopening phase. You can download the information pack here.

Financial support

Please note that local businesses DO NOT need to hire any agents or third parties to claim the government COVID-19 grants. Economic Development and the Business Rates teams at East Lothian Council can assist you. Contact economicdevelopment@eastlothian.gov.uk if you require any assistance.

Click here to download our PDF which lists a range of financial supports that are available (updated 10/6).

HMRC have YouTube videos on topics like Job Retention Scheme and Coronavirus Sick Pay Rebate Scheme. You can find them here

Support for Employers

Skills Development Scotland have created a portal to advertise immediate job vacancies. You can find out more here.

Advice on redundancy is available here or by calling 0800 917 8000.

The Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal have created a job vacancy site. For more information, click here.

The Employer Recruitment Incentive is still available to employers who are hiring East Lothian residents with multiple barriers to employment. If you would like to find out more about this, contact East Lothian Works - elworks@eastlothian.gov.uk

The Festival of Enterprise have a series of free business webinars available. To find out more, click here.

ACAS have published advice for employers and employees on Coronavirus

HR Dept have information on Coronavirus for employers on their website. This includes a useful FAQ and a news section.

Export

You can find UK government coronavirus guidance for businesses trading internationally here.

UK Export Finance are to offer export insurance in all major markets. More information can be found here.

Environmental Health

Guidance for food deliveries for those in self isolation (Community) and (Commercial).

There has been guidance issued (6 May) regarding the safe reopening of businesses with a water supply, and how to minimise the risk of Legionaires disease. The guidance document is available on East Lothian Council's website.

Information for food and drink businesses

FAQ from TLT Solicitors for Brewers and Distillers.

SALSA have suspended on site auditing until 30th of June 2020. Remote assessments will be available from early June. If your certificate expires in the next 8 weeks, contact SALSA and they will guide you through the process. More information here

Marketing Opportunities

Scotland Food and Drink have launched a Support Local directory.

The Support Local directory allows the public to search by region and by product type and purchase directly from a business via website or telephone. The directory will be supported with a ‘Support Local’ communications campaign led by Scotland Food & Drink and the wider Partnership through various consumer-facing channels.

All listings are free for businesses. You can find out more here.

Other websites offering free business listings are:

1) https://www.weelocals.com/
2) Edinburgh Lockdown Economy
3) Guild of Fine Food