Chippenham-based specialist IT group SciSys is expanding into the retail industry following the acquisition of a small software application development firm. SciSys, which works in sectors spanning space, defence, media and government, is paying a maximum of £3.2m for Leicester-based Xibis, which it expects to be immediately earnings-enhancing. SciSys said the Xibis has a...
The University of Bath’s standing as one of the UK’s leading centres for industry-related research has been further enhanced by a major new national report which classified 87% of its work as world-leading. The results of the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF) place the university 13th in the research quality ranking of UK universities,...
Shares in Good Energy, the Chippenham-based renewable electricity supplier and generator, fell by more than 6% yesterday after it warned that its profits will be lower than expected this year. The fall came despite the firm announcing that it had secured a new £45m debt facility to invest in future generating capacity and customer...
Confidence among law firms in the South West is at its highest since 2006, according to new research, with a third planning to open new offices next year. However, most also say that competition has got tougher with cashflow management a particular challenge. The snapshot of a sector undergoing fundamental change emerges from the...
Brewery, pub and restaurant operator Bath Ales has been named as a sustainability champion by the Sustainable Restaurant Association (S.R.A.) and awarded a double-star ‘excellent’ rating. The firm, whose interests span the Graze restaurant chain, pubs and bars as well as its range of beers, was evaluated against set criteria covering 14 areas of...
Hungarian airline Wizz Air, the largest low-cost carrier in Central and Eastern Europe, is to launch flights from Bristol Airport to the Polish city of Katowice. The twice-weekly service will start on June 26 and operate every Monday and Friday. Bristol will be the 106th airport in the Budapest-based airline’s route network, which stretches...
The property team at Bath law firm Withy King is playing a key role in developing a major mixed-use project helping to regenerate the seafront at Torquay. The firm is handling pre-letting of the commercial units on the ground floor of the prestigious, £17m Abbey Sands scheme, pictured, for developer Havard Estates and has...
Bath Chamber of Commerce has welcomed the latest decrease in unemployment but warned that “fundamental weaknesses” remain in the economy which threaten to hold back recovery. Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) published on Wednesday show unemployment across the South West fell by 2,000 between August and October, taking the region’s jobless...
Monthly networking events in Bath have been launched by the Institute of Directors in response to a growing membership in the area. The events, staged by the IoD’s Bath and Wiltshire branch and hosted by The Abbey Hotel, are designed for new and existing members and guests to meet in a relaxed and informal atmosphere. They follow similar well-established meetings in Bristol....
1pm, the Bath-based lender to small and medium-sized firms, is on target for another record financial performance as demand for its loans continues to grow. In a trading update released to the London Stock Exchange, the firm said it had written new business worth more than £6.8m in the six months to November 30...
