He leavened the optimism somewhat by commenting on the wider world situation saying: “There is an awful lot going on, most of which is awful. When you turn on BBC News, every day you see a new tally of people killed in the Middle East and the Ukraine situation still rumbles on. As well as the human cost, both of these situations are sucking up a lot of money and this is causing some unquiet and, flying under the radar, is the problem in Sudan.”
(According the International Rescue Commission: “Sudan is facing extreme levels of food insecurity, with 18 million people – 37% of the population – experiencing severe levels of acute food insecurity. Every day, millions of mothers and fathers are having to make impossible choices to feed their families, often going days without any food.)
“All of which means,” said Betteridge, “it is likely that 2.5 million people will become homeless, which means more refugees will be heading to Europe.”
“Looking across ‘the pond’,” Betteridge said, “the biggest fear in the US elections is that Trump will lose by a small margin, 0.000%, or whatever, and all Hell will let loose over there. In Europe, right wing parties are gaining votes everywhere. Germany is in recession, Spain is being held back by a government limited by a large number of coalition partners. In France, the minority Government is floundering, and can only survive until Marine Le Pen pulls the plug on the coalition, but what then? The proposed budget to save €60 billion by freezing pensions and putting up taxes will not be popular.”
In the UK, however, Betteridge said that: ‘In our own little bubble, things are not too bad. GDP is up 1%. Inflation has just fallen to 1.7% which should mean a drop in interest rates.” TSA’s Laundry Cost Index (LCI) has been invaluable in negotiating prices, he said, adding: “People know prices must go up and the LCI shows why in a transparent manner.
“Labour (staff) is the biggest cost for the industry. With unemployment down, there are a lot less people looking for jobs. The financial markets knew Labour was going to get in at the election, but they have the jitters now because of the lack of action in the past three months.
“The new Employment Rights Bill will have an impact. Zero hours contracts are going and these have been good to us as much as they have to the hospitality industry. Unemployment is down*.
“What will the Budget bring? Well, we are still waiting for details. However, we are pretty sure employer’s National Insurance payments will go up. But…interest rates are coming down so borrowing for innovative projects such as AI could soon be cheaper.” (The Worshipful Company of Launderers (WCL) and TSA are collaborating on a seminar on AI, details to follow later.)
Expounding on the benefits of being in the TSA, Betteridge said: “Laundries are back to making a profit. The TSA is behind you. It is six years since CEO David Stevens joined the association and I said then ‘We are back on the road again’. Well, it has been a bumpy road [with a few diversions] at times but we are on course and doing well.”
Betteridge stepped down and thanked the audience, exhorting attendees to enjoy the conference and take advantage of the networking opportunities.
Of course, all this was before the Budget. See page 4 for TSA reaction to that.
*According to The House of Commons Library Research Briefing, UK Labour Market Statistics, published on 15 October:
- In June to August 2024, the number of people aged 16+ in employment was 33.37 million, and the employment rate for people aged 16-64 was 75%. Employment levels increased by around 340,000 over the last year, with the employment rate also increasing.
- The UK unemployment rate was 4.0%, and 1.39 million people aged 16+ were unemployed. Unemployment levels fell by around 70,000 over the last year, and the unemployment rate also fell.
- 9.26 million people aged 16-64 were economically inactive, and the inactivity rate was 21.8%. Inactivity levels increased by around 10,000 over the last year but the inactivity rate saw a slight fall.
- The number of vacancies fell in the last quarter and over the year to 841,000 in July to September 2024 but remains above pre-pandemic levels.
- Average wages increased in real (inflation-adjusted) terms in the three months to August 2024, with an annual change of 1.7% including bonuses and 2.6% excluding bonuses. Nominal wages continued to rise, at a rate of 3.8% including bonuses and 4.9% excluding bonuses.
National Congress 2025 date and details announced
The TSA has announced the date and venue for the 2025 National Congress, which will take place on Wednesday 5 February at the Harbour Hotel, Southampton, with a special appearance by football veteran Harry Redknapp. The Association has also unveiled some of the highlights of the event, including the launch of ‘The Economic Value of the Textile Services Sector to the UK’ report, recently produced by Hatch.
The Congress is open to laundry owners and executives who receive an invitation to apply for tickets. These are available on a first-come, first served basis and the event is usually a sell-out. Along with the Hatch report, other key presentations will feature thought-provoking topics such as sustainability, the industry roadmap, and how to reduce energy consumption by 60%!
The keynote address speakers for 2025 will undoubtedly stimulate debate. In the morning session Mohammed Qahtani will demonstrate how he came to be crowned world champion public speaker, while in the afternoon football legend Harry Redknapp will strut the stage in his inimitable style.
Alongside the insightful speaker and panel programme, the Congress is a chance to network with colleagues and competitors from across the industry. On Tuesday 4 February, the evening before the main event, delegates staying overnight can join the informal reception in the hotel’s HarBar. On 5 February, after the conference, there’s a drinks reception followed by the industry dinner, including entertainment.
TSA CEO David Stevens said: “We have an amazing line up of speakers so make sure you get your bookings in. Its only four weeks (at time of LCN going to press) since we held our Autumn conference with over 150 delegates, feedback has been fantastic with “Nic Hamilton (Lewis’ brother) giving an amazing sign off, a full report is below. The team is now busy planning our Topic Days in March on health & safety and sustainability with bookings opening in a few weeks.
“It was also lovely to meet so many of you last week at the TSA reception in Frankfurt which certainly was an amazing showcase for innovation, can it really be eight years since the last show?”
Nicolas Hamilton inspires conference goers
Nicolas Hamilton, half-brother to Formula One British racing driver Sir Lewis Hamilton wowed as a key speaker at the TSA Autumn Conference with a rousing speech that was much more than the usual motivational fodder. Born with cerebral palsy, as a child Hamilton had encountered countless challenges because of his disability which put him in a wheelchair. All of which he has overcome by sheer strength of will to follow his belief that your ambition is limited only by your attitude.
These challenges only made him stronger in the end – determined to prove that disability would not hold him back. It worked. His father put him in to race trials on a track day and he won against all expectations ,heralding a career that saw Nicolas become the first disabled athlete to compete in the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC), creating history in 2015. Nicolas’ racing inspires both disabled and able-bodied individuals worldwide to show that pushing to better yourself, regardless of your life situation, is possible.
Hamilton is now sharing his story worldwide, on stage and through his book ‘Now That I have your Attention: 7 Lessons in Leading a Life Bigger Than They Expect’.
IN OTHER TSA NEWS…
GLARE will help laundry industry’s sustainability credentials shine
The TSA is putting the final touches to an initiative that could help commercial laundries around the world to become more sustainable. GLARE – Global Laundry and Rental Emissions platform – will allow laundries to easily measure their carbon footprint and may help to highlight how they can reduce their emissions.
Increasingly operators in industries such as hospitality, healthcare and manufacturing are scrutinising their suppliers’ sustainability credentials – GLARE will give them clear and comparable data about laundries’ emissions.
Measuring a businesses’ carbon footprint is an important step towards sustainability, but there’s an issue: which methodology is best? There are many to choose from, each of which will give different outcomes. The TSA’s Sustainability Steering Group worked with consultant Grain Sustainability to make provisions within the industry’s sustainability roadmap to measure and reduce carbon emissions, using wellestablished platforms such as Compare Your Footprint. This platform became the foundation for GLARE – however, the long-term vision is to specifically tailor it for the laundry industry. For example, it could potentially include emissions factors relating to oxygenated bleaches, as used by commercial laundries, and recycled rental textile products.
David Stevens, CEO TSA, said, “One of the critical things with this type of platform is that it has to be easy to use, to encourage operators to put in the data. We’ve trialled GLARE with some of our members, and they have described it as flexible, simple and intuitive.”
The TSA’s GLARE initiative received an enthusiastic welcome when it was presented to several other national associations in Europe and to the TRSA (the USA’s Textile Rental Services Association). They have agreed to support and promote it, seeing it as a global solution to a global issue.
GLARE will be launched early in 2025, when full details will be released. In the UK it will be offered free to TSA members. “We believe GLARE will make a major contribution to the industry’s carbon net zero objectives,” said Stevens.
