ImagesMagUK_December_2020

INDUSTRY NEWS www.images-magazine.com 16 images DECEMBER 2020 Pin it... on the Images Pinterest boards: www.pinterest.co.uk/imagesmaguk/ Want to know what your industry colleagues really think of the garments and accessories they decorate? Each issue, one reader tells us why they rate a particular product Sinéad Birch, HR and social media manager at SpeedStitch, says her company’s favourite garment to embroider is the Classic Tee (5026) from AS Colour. “The brand is popular with independent fashion brands,” explains Sinéad, who was first introduced to AS Colour by one of her customers. “It’s fast becoming one of our favourite brands to work with – sizing is consistent, the garments accept embroidery nicely, and they are easily framed as the front and back don’t tend to stick together like other brands.” The 5026 offers a regular-fit T-shirt with a crew neck – it has the feel of a heavy weight fabric, and is quite robust and easily handled, she adds. “It’s also soft to the touch, due to its combed cotton finish, and this we believe makes all the difference between AS Colour’s garments and others with similar specifications.” As with most garments, Sinéad says her top tip for embroidering the 5026 is to use cut-away backing fabric for a finer, more perfect finish. www.speedstitch.co.uk End to temporary VAT zero rate on PPE The UK government’s temporary VAT zero rate on personal protective equipment (PPE) ended on 31 October. The change to UK VAT law introducing a temporary VAT zero rate came into effect on 1 May 2020, and covered all supplies of PPE recommended for use in connection with protection from coronavirus in guidance published by Public Health England. imagesmag.uk/PPE-VAT-2020 READERS’ CHOICE SpeedStitch workshop manager Madalina Teocan with AS Colour’s Classic Tee The 5026 is easily framed and handled for embroidery, says Sinéad The Mina Group The Mina Group printed ‘My NHS Hero’ tote bags to help fundraise for NHS charities. imagesmag.uk/MyNHSHero The temporary VAT zero rate on PPE has now ended Research finds UK small businesses more concerned about impact of Covid-19 than Brexit New research from Hitachi Capital Business Finance (HCBF) has found that UK businesses are twice as likely to be concerned about the impact of Covid-19 on their business as they are about the impact of the Brexit transition period coming to an end on 31 December. In the HCBF survey, 1,107 UK small business leaders across various industry sectors were asked what they thought their biggest barriers to growth in the next six months would be. Over half of respondents (51%) cited the direct impact of coronavirus on their business operations, while just 25% were concerned about Brexit and its impact. imagesmag.uk/HCBF-Brexit-Covid19