www. pettradeworld. comPET TRADE WORLD DECEMBER 2009 31 New Product Advertorial Product Range - Mac Leather dog harnesses Product Details - The Mac Leather range of soft leather dog harness products with paw- print detail, has introduced new colours of blue and pink which will complete the current range including colours of black, red and yellow. Product Range - Cat Harnesses Product Details - The cat harness range now has three new styles of nylon collars, leads and harnesses available: " Flower" and " Stripe Flower" with colours available in black, red and blue and " Sphere" with colours available in blue and pink and all collars have a safety band. Product - Ready- To- Wear Collection" Product Details - A stylish collection with its great styles, colours and embroidery. All raincoats are made from 150g quilted polyester fabric which is machine washable and fully waterproof. They come in 7 sizes, are adjustable and work with either a collar and lead or a harness. All pullovers are made from acrylic wool and are machine washable, and come in 5 sizes which are adjustable thanks to hook and loop fasteners. Special Offers - Zolux Hobby UK have a sales promotion on a selection of products from their Aquatics, Dogs, Cats, Reptiles, Birds, Rabbits and Small Animals ranges until 23rd December 2009. If you are interested in receiving their promotion sheet, please contact them on 01908 487633 or e- mail them at: contact@ zolux- hobby. co. uk Product range - " Yin- Yang" Product Range Details - The Yin Yang range is composed of classic products such as cat trees, pet carriers, comfort line bedding and toys and new fun cat accessories such as Magic Cube, Magic Tent, Magic Tube and Magic Box, which are all fully foldable and easy to carry. Contact Details - Telephone: 01908 487633 Email: contact@ zolux- hobby. co. uk Website: www. zolux- hobby. co. uk ¦ Loads of new products from Zolux Product - " Birdy'Cob" Product Details - 100% natural vegetable based litter. This plant-based cage litter for cage and aviary birds is highly absorbent, traps odours and provides a healthy environment for your birds and the chippings do not produce dust like other litters. Made exclusively from maize cobs, it is fully biodegradable.

3 2 PET TRADE WORLD DECEMBER 2009www. pettradeworld. com Start- ups to save the UK economy, says Digby Jones The former head of the Confederation of British Industry ( CBI), Lord Digby Jones, claims that small businesses alone will rescue the struggling UK economy. ' They are the only ones which create the wealth that can pay the taxes which can repay the public debt,' says Jones, who was speaking at the opening of BT's Small Business Week. Jones urges small businesses to ' move up the supply chain by providing value- added, innovative goods and services' that can be sold internationally. He notes that China and India's rise in GDP during the recession is still enviably high ( 9 and 6 per cent respectively), whereas the UK's economy continues to contract. ' These people want your lunch,' warns the ex- CBI chief. ' The only way to get out of the economic mess we're in is to trade our way out of it.' The entrepreneur and Dragons' Den investor Peter Jones made a similar point. ' We need to think about how to make smaller businesses compete, not just on a national, but on a global scale.' According to research conducted by BT Business, 75 per cent of 7,200 respondents believe the UK economy will see an upturn in 2010, with 35 per cent predicting the improvement will start as early as January. ¦ Infl ation Figures Rising The Consumer Price Infl ation ( CPI) annual infl ation, the government's target measure, was 1.5 per cent in October, up from 1.1 per cent in September. Meanwhile, the retail infl ation ( RPI), which includes mortgage interest payments and housing costs, rose to - 0.8 per cent from - 1.4 per cent, according to fi gures from the Offi ce for National Statistics. Infl ation accelerated during the month mainly because of upward pressure from fuel prices. David Kern, chief economist at the British Chambers of Commerce, says: ' These fi gures are closely in line with the Bank of England's recent forecast that infl ation will accelerate sharply in the next few months, possibly reaching 3 per cent, before falling again later next year.' He adds: ' Given the serious risks facing the UK economy and the dangers of a double- dip recession in 2010, it is important for the MPC to persevere with an aggressive quantitative easing programme, and to consider special measures aimed at boosting bank lending to businesses.' ¦ Half of employees say they have left a job at some point in their careers as a direct result of bad management, new research reveals. The poll, by the Chartered Management Institute ( CMI), suggests there is a crisis of confi dence in UK management which could be adding to the woes of the economy. The research also found that half of workers believe they could do a better job than their current manager, while a similar number would be prepared to take a pay cut in exchange for a better leader. Ruth Spellman, CMI chief executive, said: " The fi gures reveal the depth of the crisis of confi dence in UK management and leadership and the enormous toll bad management is taking on the UK economy and people's wellbeing." One possible explanation given for the lack of confi dence in managers is the high number of leaders who have fallen into the roles by chance, according to the report. Nearly 70% of managers polled said they had not aspired to take on managerial roles while 40% did not want the responsibility. More than 60% of managers said they had received no formal leadership training. Ruth Spellman added: " It's not surprising bad management is such an issue in the UK. We invest less in our managers than our global competitors and it shows. " It's telling that the majority of individuals never set out to manage people, and have not been trained to do so. If we're going to stay competitive internationally, the government and employers need to address this worrying skills gap." ¦ Bad managers forcing staff to quit Unfair dismissal claims rise by almost a third since 2008 The number of unfair dismissal claims has risen by 29% to 52,711 since 2008, according to the Tribunals Service. Although on the whole the number of employment tribunals fell by 20% in the year ending March 2009, the statistics from the Service show this still marked a 14% increase on the 2006/ 2007 fi gure. The data also revealed an increase in the number of single claims accepted, which rose to 63,000 in 2008- 09 - a rise of 15% on the year before, although sex discrimination cases also dropped by 31%. ¦ Business News