The globally acclaimed University of Bath-supported business incubator SETsquared has bolstered the UK economy by £15.7bn since its launch 20 years ago, according to an independent report. SETsquared was set up in 2002 by a small group of research-intensive universities in the South of England, including Bath, with a mission is to help turn...
Confidence levels among South West firms about their prospects and those of the UK economy have unexpectedly increased, according to a new survey – although optimism remains far lower than it did just months ago. While confidence fell by four percentage points during October to minus 4%, last month it picked back up to plus 5%...
Bath-headquartered global engineering group Rotork has appointed a former senior independent director of the Bank of England as its next chair. Dorothy Thompson, pictured, who has wide experience on the boards of international energy businesses, joins the group as an independent non-executive director and chair designate. She will replace current chair Martin Lamb when...
Two highly experienced non-executive directors have joined the board of Bath-headquartered spectacles designer and manufacture just over a month after its shares went into freefall when it warned of slowing sales. Founder and CEO Robin Totterman has also moved to the role of executive chair while an existing non-executive takes over as CEO. The...
Firms in the Bath can ensure they are fit for the future by taking advantage of free support on offer under a Workforce for the Future programme. Staged by Business West, the region’s largest business organisation, Workforce for the Future provides fully funded, tailored and in-depth support for firms with fewer than 250 employees to...
It has been a very busy few years for immigration law. Firstly, absorbing Brexit and, more recently, with the impact of the pandemic with numerous temporary changes and concessions being introduced by the Home Office. 2022 has been no exception, with a number of these ‘quick fixes’ either being removed or enshrined as a...
Defence manufacturing group Avon Protection is looking ahead to a new “chapter of growth” it said as it reported higher annual revenues and a big cut in operating losses. Bosses at the Melksham-based group, which specialises in protective gear, masks and breathing equipment for the military and first-responder markets, continued to restructure the business...
Raising its prices and improving its supply chain helped Bath-headquartered global advanced engineering group Rotork increase its revenues by 18.6% in four months. The group, which manufactures flow control equipment for the global oil, gas, water and chemical industries, has been buffeted by global problems over recent years, including the impact of the pandemic. ...
The growth path for businesses and the UK economy may be “long, rocky, and protracted”, the region’s largest business group fears following the Autumn Statement. Matt Griffith, pictured below, director of policy at Business West – the organisation that runs Bristol Chamber of Commerce – described the statement as “a difficult budget for difficult times”. ...
The Autumn Statement has piled more pressure on the UK’s 5.5m small businesses, their employees and customers, according to the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB). Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s measures were “high on stealth-creation and low on wealth-creation”, FSB national chair of Martin McTague said. “While tackling inflation is essential, so are measures to create conditions for...
