Inflation fell sharply last month as lower fuel prices and hefty pre-Christmas discounting on the high street brought some economic relief. The drop – to 4.2% from 4.8% in November – is the biggest fall since April 2009 and supports Bank of England forecasts that inflation will tumble this year as a result of...
Print and post provider CFH Docmail has launched its first commemorative pre-franked stamp to encourage everyone to Plant a Tree for the Jubilee. It will be used as a substitute for its regular stamps on all envelopes mailed through its Docmail direct mail service during January and February. As a longstanding corporate supporter of the Woodland Trust,...
Government initiatives to promote innovation and exports to emerging markets coupled with growth sectors like the automotive industry provide real opportunities for West manufacturers, according to accountants and business advisors BDO’s regional office. While recognising that uncertainty in key economies and markets and the lack of access to capital will make 2012 a challenging...
Bath-based publishing group Future has sold its Music Division in New York to NewBay Media for $3m (£1.96m). The sale includes US magazines Guitar World, Revolver and Guitar Aficionado and the related websites together with a licence to operate the Golden Gods Awards show in the US. It follows the group's £19.3m annual loss...
1pm, the independent Bath firm providing asset finance to small firms, has reported a 238% rise in pre-tax profits to £214,000 in the six months to November 30. It was achieved on revenue up 31% from £880,000 to £1.15m while its total lease portfolio increased from £9.19m to £10.85m. Highlights included a reduction in bad...
Interest rates have again been pegged at their record low of 0.5% amid growing concerns over weak consumer spending, mixed results from high street retailers and little sign of the expected upturn for manufacturers. The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) have now kept rates at 0.5% since March 2009. While some economists...
Business Secretary Vince Cable has officially opened City of Bath College’s new multi-million pound Roper Building. The opening ceremony marked the end of a 10-month construction project to demolish the College’s Kings Building and replace it with state-of-the-art premises on James Street West and Avon Street. The three-storey Roper Building, which links with the...
Public sector staff hit by job cuts are to be helped move into private sector employment under a project to be launched in the region next week. The West of England Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), which covers Bath and North East Somerset, has teamed up with national recruitment experts Resource Solutions Group (RSG), based...
West Wiltshire businessman Paul Johnson has been appointed as the first chairman of the newly-formed Swindon & Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP). Mr Johnson recently stepped down as chairman of Melksham-based railway engineering group Knorr-Bremse (UK). His appointment was ratified by an independent panel drawn from the local business community and chaired by the...
Vectura, the Chippenham-based specialist pharmaceutical group, is to cut £1m from its research and development budget, it has announced as it told the City that it expects its annual results to be in line with expectations. The group, which specialises in developing inhaled therapies for the treatment of respiratory diseases, said despite the cut...
