A £1.5m fund has been launched to help small firms in Bath and across the West of England and their supply chains adapt to the new economic and regulatory landscape. The Business Growth and Adaptions Grants are aimed at helping small to medium-sized enterprises buy new products and equipment to help increase production and...
A regional organisation that helps businesses forge links with China is to host its first event for firms from Bath and Wiltshire. The Bristol & West of England China Bureau was launched in 1998 and has since grown to be the region’s strongest twinning network to support businesses and education organisations while also promoting...
Bath-headquartered global advanced engineering group Rotork is hoping for a recovery in its fortunes in the second half of this year after profits and revenues fell during the first six months. Pre-tax profits fell 12% to £44.6m on revenues down 2.9% to £280m as the group, which manufactures flow control equipment for the global...
The University of Bath is to start commercial production of a viable alternative to palm oil that could help reduce the huge environmental damage caused by its extraction. UK-based food-tech business Clean Food Group has set up a dedicated laboratory and pilot plant at the university following the acquisition of intellectual property (IP) developed over the...
A manufacturer of plastic moulded litter bins based near Bath has expanded through the acquisition of a firm that makes self-watering planters and street furniture. Leafield Environmental’s takeover of Amberol adds a range of organisations, including local authorities, community gardening groups, businesses, and educational establishments, to its client base. Formerly known as Linpac Environmental,...
Companies in the South West are more gloomy about the economy and their own prospects than those in all other regions of the UK, according to a new survey. Business confidence in the region fell three percentage points to 11% during July, making it the least confident region in the UK for the second consecutive month, the...
Changes at the top of growth finance group BGF, including a new chief executive officer, have been welcomed by the head of its South West and Wales region. The group, a major investor in businesses in the region over recent years, has promoted its chief investment officer Andy Gregory, current to its board as...
More than seven in 10 West of England firms consider climate change to be a core business issue for them but many admit they need help to do anything about it due to cost pressures. As a result, fewer than a quarter have taken concrete steps to reduce their impact, such as measuring their...
Naturbeads, the Bath firm developing biodegradable alternatives to harmful microplastics, has been named as one of the UK’s top tech innovators. The firm, a spin-out from the University of Bath, was a finalist in this year’s Emerging Giants Tech Innovator competition run by the UK arm of global accountancy group KPMG. The fast-growth...
The next Prime Minister and their Chancellor of the Exchequer must take immediate action to help companies cope with the impact of sky-high inflation, the region’s largest business group has said. Latest figures from the Office of National Statistics this week show inflation at a 40-year high of 9.4%. The rise, the ninth monthly...
