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ACT parent company Bira responds to Prime Minister's 'Bobbies on the Beat' plan

11 Apr 2025

Bira has cautiously welcomed the Prime Minister's announcement this week on plans to put 'thousands of Bobbies back on the Beat' with a new neighbourhood policing guarantee.
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ACT parent company Bira warns of 'Atrocious April' as shop price inflation rises

1 Apr 2025

Bira has voiced serious concerns over the latest figures from the BRC-NIQ Shop Price Index for March 2025.
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ACT parent company Bira says Spring Statement fails to address high street crisis

26 Mar 2025

ACT parent company Bira has said the Chancellor's Spring Statement delivered today has failed to address the "perfect storm" of cost pressures facing independent retailers across the UK,... Read more…

ACT parent company Bira outlines key priorities ahead of Spring Budget

25 Mar 2025

ACT parent company Bira has outlined its key priorities ahead of the Chancellor's Spring Budget statement.
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Bristol-based cycling charity Life Cycle now offering Cytech training courses

20 Mar 2025

Cytech, the internationally recognised training and accreditation scheme for bicycle mechanics, have partnered with Bristol-based charity Life Cycle to offer a range of bicycle mechanic... Read more…

High street 'death knell' – indie retailers, including cycle shops, shutting doors ahead of April tax rises

12 Mar 2025

Towns and cities across Britain are already seeing a wave of closures as independent businesses shut their doors ahead of April’s triple tax burden, including those in the cycling retail... Read more…

Research shows UK businesses hiring more as consumer confidence lifts

5 Mar 2025

New research has revealed a recent uptick in UK consumer confidence, leading to increased hiring by businesses, with the retail sector responding positively to signs of economic resilience.
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Independent cycle shop becomes first retailer to stock new local bike brand

28 Feb 2025

Independent cycling retailer and ACT member Velo Fit has become the first to stock a new brand of bikes focused on combining quality and affordability.
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Bira cautiously welcomes new crime and policing bill to tackle retail crime across high street businesses

26 Feb 2025

ACT parent company Bira has cautiously welcomed Labour's Crime and Policing Bill but is calling for urgent action and immediate funding to address the surge in retail crime affecting independent... Read more…

Bira warns of 'troubled times ahead' despite interest rate cut

7 Feb 2025

ACT parent company Bira has warned that retailers across Britain face troubled times ahead despite today's Bank of England interest rate cut to 4.5%, as the Bank halves its growth forecast for... Read more…

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Retail Finance Retailer Awareness Handbook: A quick guide to your duties to the customer

Posted on in Business News, Cycles News

The Association of Cycle Trader's retail finance partner V12 have created a document that outlines a third party finance provider's (TPFP) duty to the customer.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) have a duty to protect consumers. In doing this, they pay very close attention to industry standards and the role lenders and retailers play in making it a safe, informed space for consumers to shop using credit.

It is important that retailers read the document and familiarise themselves with industry standards.

Download the V12 Retailer Awareness Handbook now

 

The document contains information on the following areas:

  • Oversight & accountability; To ensure that they provide the best service and have the best retail partners, it's vital that V12 have a clear understanding of your business and its framework.
  • Competency of staff; Providing a compliant finance service means all retailer staff who deal with our product must be fully informed of their responsibilities.
  • Section 75; Section 75 states both the lender and retailer are jointly liable for any breach of contract or misrepresentation.
  • Complaints; When customers make a finance related complaint, both V12 and its retailers have a responsibility to take appropriate measures to handle the issue.
  • Affordability; Understanding the amount or having a reasonable estimate of a customer’s current income (and non-discretionary income) is essential to determining if they can afford to make repayments.
  • Fees; The FCA has found that, in some cases, consumers were unaware of the early settlement fee they would be charged on regulated Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) products.
  • Exempt Products; While some of your products are exempt from FCA regulation, they still remain subject to the unfair contract terms provisions of the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
  • Vulnerable Customers; Protecting vulnerable customers is a key priority for the FCA, and for V12 and its retailers. Being able to identify possible vulnerability should be at the forefront of each application. 

 

The document also contains useful inks, such as information on the V12 system, information on the fair treatment of customers and a V12 training video.

Download the V12 Retailer Awareness Handbook now 

 

Train your staff effectively

IRFTTo train your staff to the standards expected by the FCA, the ACT recommend the Retail Finance Training course.

Retail Finance Training, brought to you by Indie Retail Training, is an online learning course delivering an informed insight into Retail finance that can be completed anywhere, in your own time.
 
The course will teach you how to legally promote and use retail finance in-store, online and in all other forms of media.

The course retails for just £150 including VAT. However, members of the ACT and ActSmart receive up to a 50% saving off the RRP, meaning that you can access the course from just £75 including VAT.
 
 
Membership level Gold Silver Standard
Standard Price
(Excluding VAT)
£62.50 £83.33 £125

Standard Price
(Including VAT)

£75.00 £100 £150

Try a free demo version now or get started with the full course by clicking below.
 
 
 

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