Interesting article in the Yorkshire Post business pages last week about how the recession is affecting shops in various cities across the region.

Apparently nearly 26,000 shops have closed across the UK, with town centre retailers really being hit hard. You only have to look around to see too many empty premises here, so how do Hull’s shops compare?

“Sheffield city centre had a 15 per cent vacancy rate, with 29 new openings and 68 closures. Central Hull was the worst affected, with a vacancy rate of 20 per cent, with 11 new opening against 58 closures.”

Interestingly, the article says that places like Bridlington and Scarborough fare better because they have a high residential population to support local stores.

The Federation of Small Businesses advises that to help save our towns and cities, people should change their shopping habits and spend more money with local retailers. Is this something you’d consider to help out Hull’s businesses?

Apprenticeships have featured a lot on the news recently, and even Sir Alan Sugar has jumped on the bandwagon, being the “new face” for encouraging more apprenticeships in a high-profile advertising campaign.

The majority of the coverage has focused on how apprenticeships can add real value to businesses and that although many are struggling with the recession, now is the best time to be looking at developing talent. There’s even a Government target of reaching 130,000 apprenticeships completed by 2010.

If you’re a business owner in Hull, is it something you have ever thought of? To be fair, Hull seems to be playing its part; the number of apprentices qualifying in this area has increased dramatically in the past couple of years. Some 840 people passed an apprenticeship last year, compared to only 450 in 2003/04.

So, how do you tap into this wealth of enthusiastic workers? Or perhaps you are a young person wanting to enrol on a course yourself? Hull City Council website on training and development is a good place to start, which you can find here

Interesting article on the Yorkshire Business Desk this week about Hull trying to escape the economic downturn.

They interviewed Hull Forward’s Chief Executive – John Holmes – about how he sees the City growing and developing over the coming years.

 It almost makes Hull sound exciting:

“The £200m St Stephen’s shopping centre is complete and busy, apartments blocks line the banks of the marina and offices…Future developments include the development of Quay West, which will create a retail area employing 3,000 people; redevelopment of the Fruit Market into an area boasting bars, shops, boutique hotels and workspace; and the second phase of Humber Quays, Hull’s waterfront business and international trade district.”

According to John Holmes, there is a real sense of optimism and he is confident that a masterplan, which will see £1.5bn invested into Hull, will become reality. It’s a long term vision however, but Mr Holmes doesn’t believe panic buttons should be pressed given the slow down in the property and financial sectors.

The sentence that made me smile the most though;

“..the ever enthusiastic Mr Holmes denies that Hull’s geographical location has hindered its prospects either historically or today. ‘It’s on the route from St Petersburg to Liverpool.’ he says.”

Wasn’t it Peter the Great that called St Petersburg “the Window to the West”? I wonder if he realised that meant looking straight into the heart of Hull?

Hull and Beverley are miles apart – not just as the crow files, but in attitudes, people and most certainly when it comes to shopping.

Having spent time in both (living, breathing and shopping), they each offer something very distinctive, going beyond the typical “market town v. bustling city” descriptions that are traditionally lumped upon them.

The question is, will the proposed £120m development in the shadow of Beverley Minster narrow that gap? The plans include shops, a cinema and even a hotel in the 16-acre former Clariant and Museum of Army Transport site.

The argument is that Beverley is in much need of a retail and leisure boost. Not unsurprisingly, Hull City Council and Princes Quay (who have enough of their own problems) are amongst many who have spoken out against the plans. They object to the scale of the initiative, suggesting that it will have an impact on current, and future, retail and business developments in the City.

A planning inspector has toured Hull’s retail centres to try and judge its impact (where do you even start to assess that?). The official tour took in Kingswood Retail Park, Clough Road, St Stephen’s & The Prospect Centre, King Edward Street and Jameson Street, Whitefriargate, Princes Quay, Humber Quays, Kingston Retail Park and St Andrew’s Quay. Quite a lot to go at really.

So, do you think it will affect the delicate Beverley/Hull balance? I’m tempted to ask whether other cities react this way when a neighboring town wants to expand or improve their infrastructure. If Hull was more confident in their own retail and business developments, would they be as worried?

I’ve never quite understood what the World Trade Centre Hull & Humber was until I received an email through asking what it can do for my business; whatever I need it to, apparently.

So on further inspection, I find out that it has pretty impressive facilities – especially for Hull.

There are currently over 300 World Trade Centres across the globe, where members can access state–of–the–art business support services — ranging from expertise and temporary office space to online data access and video conferencing.

Basically, it’s a one-stop-shop to help you do business in international markets, but if it helps put Hull and the Humber – and local companies – on the map, then I’m all for it. Keep an eye on their news pages to see what grabs your attention and how they can help you.