Chippenham-based Fleet Support Group (FSG), one of the UK’s largest fleet management companies, has been acquired by the American-based Automotive Resources International (ARI). The deal will give ARI its first business in Europe. The company has operations in North America, Canada, Mexico, South Africa and Australia, with alliances in India and China. It has around...
SciSys, the specialist supplier of bespoke software systems, IT based solutions and support services, has been awarded a £2.5m contract to provide a Future Deployable GEOINT (FDG) System. The business has come from Lockheed Martin UK Integrated Systems & Solutions which is the prime contractor for FDG to the UK's Ministry of Defence. The aim of...
Luxury handbag maker Mulberry has headhunted the managing director of Hermès France, Bruno Guillon, to be its next chief executive. Mr Guillon will work with current chief executive and chairman Godfrey Davis for three months to ensure a smooth transition before taking over on March 1. Mr Davis will continue as non-executive chairman. Mulberry,...
The high street got an unexpected pre-Christmas boost today with new figures showing sales volumes in early December grew for the first time in seven months. However, shop takings were still sales poor for the time of year and the CBI, which conducted the research behind today’s survey, said retailers do not expect the...
The true cost of Christmas parties in the workplace could land employers with a sobering bill from HM Revenue & Customs in the New Year. The warning comes from Caroline Harwood, head of employer solutions at Grant Thornton in the West, who points out that for employers who want to reward hard-working staff, tax relief is only...
Moves by West councils to ensure redundant buildings, including 5,000 empty homes, are fully utilised before green field sites are swallowed up for development have been welcomed by property specialist Colliers International. The West of England Property Initiative – run jointly by North Somerset, Bristol City, South Gloucestershire and Bath and North East Somerset councils – aims to get more empty...
Bath shoppers are expected to loosen their purse-strings and spend £339m this Christmas on gifts and partying. Despite household budgets being squeezed tighter this year, figures from Barclays predict that spending will be up by 4% this December on the same month last year. In Bath, shoppers will splash out £207m on their debit...
Unemployment across the South West has risen by more than 10% in the past year, according to figures today from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). More than 90,000 people aged over 16 in the region were claiming unemployment benefit in November, the ONS said, up from 81,000 in the same month last year...
Jelf, the consultancy that provides a broad range of insurance, financial services and employee benefit services to corporate and individual clients, defied the continued economic downturn to produce full time pre-tax profits up from £278,000 to £3.2m in the year to September 30. The group, which has a major office in Bath and more...
National Milk Records, the Chippenham-based company providing milk recording services to half of the UK’s dairy farmers, made pre-tax profits of £408,000 on turnover up 3.9% at £8.6m, its half-year figures to September 30 show. But the firm warned that full-year profits are likely to be affected by significant investment in new projects and...
