British summertime is officially upon us. The nation prepares itself for plausible weather conditions and complaints about how it is too plausible. Nights remain lighter and the general vibe gets ever more positive. It’s also a great time to find the perfect place for your business. If you are looking to relocate or are currently in... Read More
The latest PMI survey from Markit has revealed that manufacturing in the UK stayed at an underwhelming rate in May, only increasing slightly above the neutral mark at 50.1. Production volumes during this period remained fairly unchanged on the previous survey and despite an increase in new business, the level of new export business... Read More
We are now in an era where technology is essential for many businesses. The advancement in technology has seen an increase in cyber-attacks, resulting in a detrimental effect for companies. In a recent report, the Insurance Times confirms that 60% of UK SMBs have experienced a breach in their online security, with the average costing... Read More
High street retail has taken another hit, as this week saw administrators announce that menswear clothing brand, Austin Reed, is set to close all 120 of its stores, putting 1,000 jobs at risk. The 116-year-old retailer is set to wind-down as there were a lack of viable offers received for the business, according to... Read More
New figures from Hammerson’s Retail Tracker, HART, have revealed that technology sales across UK shopping centres had an overall 0.4% uplift in sales in April. It outperformed BRC’s latest figures which saw like-for-like sales down -0.9% for the month. It was found that the ‘Sound, Picture & Technology’ was up by 27.7% and... Read More
Small businesses looking for a loan could find themselves using unscrupulous new lenders that have huge interest rates, resulting in difficult repayments and the remainder of the loan becoming a difficult task. In the last two years, 40 new lenders that were looking to access its nationwide salesforce of brokers advising SME’s on... Read More
New research from Trevor Wood Associates found that at the end of 2015, Northern Ireland’s retail warehouse vacancy rate was at 11.9%, the highest in the UK. “The Definitive Guide to Retail & Leisure Parks 2016”, which was released on Wednesday, found that the rate was up from the first half of 2015, where it was at 9.7%. The... Read More
London. That magical city which sits so proudly at the epicentre of the nation. For Britons, it is a place that shows the best of what they have to offer the world for economy and culture. While people overseas look at it as a fascinating city steeped in history and filled with tantalising opportunity. With a record breaking population of 8.7... Read More
According to a recent report by the Financial Conduct Authority, small businesses, charities and fintech firm’s accounts are being cut by banks, in order to ease the cost of regulatory compliance and anti-money laundering controls. With the ever increasing risks of money laundering and corruption, banks have been forced to heighten... Read More
With the EU referendum just one month away, a study has found that 56% of business owners care more about the facts than what political figures have to say. The survey by sage also found that 17% of respondents will be voting on gut instinct alone, while a mere 1% say that politicians or personalities will aid them in their decision... Read More
Throughout 2015, for the second year in a row, inward investment into the West Midlands stayed consistently sharp. Last year, the region had 92 foreign direct investment (FDI) projects, which is up by 46% on 2014’s amount of 63. The projects counted are ones by businesses that are newly investing in the region, as well as... Read More
The board of Tata Steel Europe has announced it has advanced seven expressions of interest for its UK business to the next stage of the sale process. It is known that Tata Steel Europe’s primary intention is to ensure that the interested parties are looking at the whole of Tata Steel’s UK business. Parties which are seeking just... Read More
The world’s biggest Mercedes retailer has successfully acquired nine Mercedes-Benz dealerships, including four in the West Midlands. Advised by the Birmingham office of Knight Frank, the deal sees Hong Kong-based Lei Shing Hong, which represents the Mercedes marque in China, South Korea and Cambodia, gain its first foothold in the... Read More
There are a reported 1 in 4 people in the UK experiencing mental health issues every year and that number keeps on growing. It can take many forms, with the two most common being anxiety and depression. However, there are people out there who are either unaware of what they have or feel like they can’t tell anyone. The issues are magnified... Read More
intu has announced the appointment of Laing O’Rourke as main contractor for a new £178m extension of its Watford shopping centre. The extension, which will comprise a 1.4 million sq ft leisure and retail destination, will place Watford in CACI’s top 20 national retail destinations ranking, alongside Bristol and Edinburgh. Head... Read More
Former Labour Chancellor, Alistair Darling, has said that if the UK were to leave the EU, it would have a negative impact on the economy and be “disastrous” for living standards of working people. At a dinner of the CBI, Mr Darling said in a speech: “Recent experience and historic evidence shows that when our economy suffers this... Read More
The retail sector has experienced its share of fall backs over the past month. One of the most prominent establishments on the UK high street, BHS, received a major blow after it entered into administration at the end of April. This was then followed by menswear brand Austin Reed just a few days later. It was a shock to consumers everywhere... Read More
New figures from the Local Data Company (LDC) have found that the West Midlands is still one of the worst affected regions in England for empty shops. The region currently has three towns in the top 10 list of areas with the highest percentage of empty shops over the last three years. The worst performing town in the region was... Read More
With HSBC set to make Birmingham the home of its UK retail services, it has since begun laying off 840 of its IT staff. The first phase of restructuring, which aims to cut 8,000 jobs in the UK by the end of 2017, will see Sheffield suffer the most, with 595 job losses expected. London and Birmingham will also see jobs cut. The... Read More
Summer is upon us. A wondrous time where, for five minutes a year, Britons everywhere are exposed to that yellow warm ball in the sky. The mood of the nation is lifted, which is the perfect time to be productive and make a change. For businesses looking to relocate, this is definitely the case. Right at this moment you may be currently... Read More
The North West office market has seen a stellar start to the year, with Liverpool and Manchester experiencing strong levels of take-up in Q1, according to a report from Bilfinger GVA. It was found that Liverpool’s office take-up surpassed 90,000 sq ft in the first quarter, overtaking the five-year quarterly average of 80,000 sq... Read More
Figures found by the BBC have revealed that over 600 bank branches across Britain in the past year have seen closures, with rural areas being the most affected. It was found that parts of Scotland, Wales and South West England, between April 2015 and April 2016, lost the most per population. Wales suffered the most bank loses, with... Read More
