The Federation of Independent Retailers (NFRN) has named Narinder Randhawa as its national president for 2021/22.
Randhawa is currently an ambassador for the NFRN Credit Union and has held several positions at branch and district levels.
During his acceptance speech at the Annual Conference 2021, he said: “I am not here to rock the boat, and I want to build on the hard work that has already been done by the immediate past president, Stuart Reddish, the NEC and the NC.”
Randhawa added that he aims to look after NFRN members with preferred deals, preferred banking terms and health deals, and wants to have preferred deals with the hospitality sector to give members the feel-good factor back.
READ MORE: Three in 10 firms ‘will employ fewer staff because of National Insurance rise’
He concluded: “The ultimate vision is that all members get more back than they pay in fees. That is being realised at the moment through the deals we have available.
“The current deals are worth more than double the annual fee, so it is a win-win situation.”
The NFRN also named Jason Birks as national vice president for 2021/22 and Shahid Razzaq as national deputy vice president.
The news comes as the Federation warned that a rise to the national minimum wage and National Insurance contributions to fund social care could force local stores out of business.
The comment as the government announced a 1.25 per cent increase in national insurance contributions paid by both employees and employers.
According to the NFRN, for an employee earning an annual salary of £20,000, the employer and employee will each pay an additional £130 a year in contributions.
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