Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has presented his Autumn Statement. The main points were: Chancellor said priorities were stability, growth and public services and high inflation is the enemy. But he confirmed UK was in recession. GDP is forecast to shrink by 1.4% next year, before returning to growth in 2024. Top rate of tax will...
Confidence among small business in the South West has fallen to a record low as fears grow about rising costs – with the region now the most pessimistic of any part of the country. The gloomy outlook comes from the latest survey by the FSB (Federation of Small Businesses), which measures business sentiment each...
Iconic office furniture maker Herman Miller, which has its UK headquarters in Melksham, is to take on additional distribution and space by occupying a major disused warehouse. The firm, best known for its instantly recognisable Aeron chair, is to occupy the 92,510 sq ft Consortium building on Trowbridge’s Canal Road Industrial Estate. The near six-acre...
James Durie, an executive director of Business West – the organisation behind Bath Chamber of Commerce – is to step down from his role after 21 years at the end of this year. James, pictured, who is also chief executive of the Bristol Chamber of Commerce and Initiative, is widely acknowledged as playing a significant role in the...
Shares in Inspecs, the Bath-based spectacles designer and manufacturer, lost more than half their value in one day after it warned that sales would continue to be hit by the cost of living crisis into next year. The departure of Inspecs chairman, the former Tesco boss and City grandee Lord MacLaurin, on 1 December...
Government plans to create two investment zones in Bath and North East Somerset aimed at boosting the economy have been given a cautious welcome by councillors amid concerns over their impact on the environment and local democracy. Two sites – Bath City Enterprise Zone, which includes the Bath Quays development and the Somer Valley...
The co-founder of Bath-headquartered specialist accident-claim handling firm Helphire has been appointed as independent chair of a medical simulator manufacturer. Mark Jackson, pictured, joins Bristol-based Limbs & Things as it continues to strengthen its position as one of the leaders in its field. The near £30m turnover business, exports its pioneering products, including ‘arms’ with...
Rotork, the Bath-headquartered global advanced engineering group, has become the first UK firm in its sector to have its ambitious greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets been officially verified. Earlier this year the group, which makes flow control equipment for the global oil, gas, water and chemical industries and is Bath's largest manufacturer, pledged to the...
A campaign to help businesses across the West of England reduce their reliance on dirty fossil fuels and embrace a greener future through simple, practical steps has been launched in Bath. Action Net Zero’s Beacon of Hope initiative will reach out to firms, as well as communities and individuals, to offer them practical advice,...
The organisation that runs Bath Chamber of Commerce has called for an end to instability at the heart of government following Liz Truss’s resignation, warning that it was harming business’s prospects at an already difficult time. Business West, the region’s largest business group, also said it was crucial the next Conservative Party leader –...
