The number of businesses expecting to recruit more staff has almost returned to the pre-recession levels of 2007 new figures released today show. But while the data is welcome news for job seekers, some business analysts are warning that it could signal looming skills shortages. The latest Business Trends report by accountants and business...
West-based luxury brand Mulberry, best known for its £1,000-plus handbags, has promised to launch new products with slightly cheaper price tags after revealing that profits nearly halved in its last financial year. Chairman Godfrey Davis, who is leading a restructuring of the business to restore growth, said it had listened to its customers and...
The South West is outperforming most other UK regions for attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) in a highly-competitive for market, according to research published this week. The region achieved a 44% increase in the number of FDI projects last year, going from 15 to 27 – the highest number since 2010. Although London remained...
West of England chartered accountants Monahans’ new, highly-responsive website has gone live with the promise of a step change in the way existing and potential clients interact with the firm. The site – www.monahans.co.uk – offers new functionality and regular features with a greater focus on the sectors that Monahans works in, including manufacturing,...
By Nick Sturge, centre director, SETsquared and Vice-chair, High-Tech Sector Group, West of England Local Enterprise Partnership Having worked with nearly 300 high-tech start-up businesses – some for just an hour, some for several years – and having done a start-up myself, I've watched, very carefully, how leadership develops and evolves over the life...
Wiltshire-based specialist manufacturer Avon Rubber has won an order worth $33m (£19.6m) from the US Department of Defense (DoD) for 135,000 of its M50 protection masks. The order is an extension of an earlier contract with the Pentagon under which Melksham-based Avon has supplied the masks for use by the US armed forces and...
Rotork, the Bath-based advanced engineering firm, has appointed Martin Lamb as a non-executive director and will make a number of boardroom changes later this month. Mr Lamb, pictured, who took up his appointment today, will sit on the Rotork board’s audit, nomination and remuneration committees. He was chief executive of engineering group IMI from...
A new fund focusing on investing in the Bath area’s early stage tech businesses is to be launched by Technology Venture Partners, a new independent venture capital fund manager based in the region. Technology Venture Partners is to start the fund to run alongside YFM Equity Partners’ closed South West Ventures Fund, which it...
Bath branding consultancy The Agency has been appointed by Somerset specialist technology manufacturer Gooch & Housego as its lead planning, creative and digital agency. Ilminster-based Gooch & Housego, a $100m global business producing a range of fibre optic technologies, operates in more than 20 sectors with a high-profile role supplying critical systems and components...
Shares in Chippenham-based specialist software and IT group SciSys, best known for its work in the space sector, dipped today despite it issuing an upbeat statement at its AGM. The group, which supplies highly-complex systems to the global space, defence and media industries, told shareholders it was making further profitable progress and was on...
