Just under 500 small businesses are responsible for much of the South West’s economic growth and are creating vital wealth and jobs, according to a new report. These 490 high-growth firms represent only 5.1% of all small businesses in the region, yet they play an extraordinary role in boosting the economy, reveals research by...
Bristol & Bath Science Park is to compete in the British Council for Offices (BCO) National Awards after being named the South West’s Best Commercial Workplace in the regional heats. The awards showcase buildings that are high quality, flexible, efficient and sustainable, as well as being effective workplaces and contributing to the community. Around...
The Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council has awarded the University of Bath a £1.5m grant to further its research into low-impact, energy efficient buildings. The grant, secured with the support of the university’s Research, Development and Support Office, will fund Enliten – a project which is aimed at reducing carbon emissions from energy...
Trowbridge-based education material distributor The Consortium was today taken over by newspapers, magazines and books wholesaler Smiths News in a £38m deal. The Consortium employs 240 people, mainly in Trowbridge where it operates a large warehouse. The firm was originally launched by a group of local authorities, including the then-Wiltshire County Council, who decided...
Trowbridge-based care and education supplies business The Consortium has acquired West Mercia Supplies (WMS) for an undisclosed sum. WMS was acquired from its four local authority owners Shropshire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Telford & Wrekin councils. It will now be run by The Consortium as an independent entity under the leadership of Elaine Keogh, formerly...
The site of the former Clarke’s restaurant in Bath’s Argyle Street, which went into administration last year after a short spell as Liberty, has been acquired by city-based hairdressers Dappa. The four-storey building will become its second city centre salon. The deal was brokered by Colliers International on behalf of LPA Receivers. Colliers’ director Simon Wells,...
Work expert Acas has today launched its first guide tackling the last taboo in business – mental illness at work. It is a fast-growing problem, particularly with workers becoming increasingly concerned about their futures in the economic downturn, and costs employers in the South West an estimated £2.5bn a year in lost production and...
Venue, the long-running listings magazine for Bristol and Bath is to be axed – just over a year after its owner, London-based newspaper group Northcliffe, claimed to have ‘saved’ it. The magazine, first published in 1982, is to become a ‘digital-only’ product. Hundreds of readers protested in February last year when Northcliffe, which also...
Most medium-sized West technology companies have no plans to invest in new overseas markets over the next year, despite major opportunities in the so-called BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) economies. New research from accountants and business advisers Grant Thornton shows domestic investment continues to be the number one priority for ICT businesses with...
Net lending to businesses across the South West by its wholesale banking and markets division rose 18% last year, Lloyds Bank has said. Clive Hetherington, the bank’s area director, said the figure was encouraging news for the region’s larger firms. “After another challenging year, this result is a clear indication that South West businesses...
