Defence giant BAE Systems has extended its framework agreement with Wincanton, Britain’s largest third-party logistics business, for a further five years. Chippenham-based Wincanton has worked with BAE Systems for 23 years, providing supply chain services across its air sector and UK shipbuilding operations. Wincanton will continue to provide transport, warehousing, materials management, packing and...
Directors in the Bath area are being invited to enter the top regional awards scheme recognising excellence and enterprise in the boardroom. The annual Institute of Directors’ Director of the Year Awards seek to champion outstanding leaders and entrepreneurs in both the public and private sectors. Award nominations are open to anyone working at director level...
A second round of funding to help address Bath’s digital skills gaps, as well as helping the city’s economy recover from the pandemic, is being released by the West of England Combined Authority (WECA). Applications are being invited for projects which together will support more than 1,000 people, helping them gain much-needed digital skills...
The Covid-19 pandemic prompted a wave of innovation among businesses in Bath and across the South West, with nearly half saying they pivoted their operations to survive. According to a new Lloyds Bank survey, 46% of firms in the region they were forced to become more creative and innovative in finding new areas of...
The government’s long-awaited strategy for the UK’s burgeoning hydrogen sector – which it says could create thousands of sustainable jobs and unlock billions of pounds of investment – has been welcomed by the region’s largest business group. Business West, which runs Bath Chamber of Commerce, believes the West of England can be a powerhouse...
Bath small business owners uncertain about why sustainability, net zero and climate change are relevant to their day-to-day operations are being invited to a special event next month. Staged by Britain’s biggest business representation group, The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), ‘What is net zero and why is it important to my SME business?’...
Shares in defence manufacturing group Avon Protection slumped by 25% this morning after it said its revenues are likely to be impacted for the next two years. The Melksham-headquartered group, which specialises in protective gear, masks and breathing equipment for the military and first-responder markets, blamed a combination of factors, including delayed orders, for...
Low-cost airline easyJet has teamed up with Bristol Airport to use it as a test-bed to trial ways of decarbonising its operations and reduce waste. The airline, the airport’s largest operator accounting for about half of all its flights, said the partnership would involve a series of trials using the latest cutting-edge technology and...
The South West’s small and medium-sized businesses are among the UK’s most confident when it comes to their prospects and the wider economy, according to two new surveys. The latest regional survey by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) reveals that small business owners in the region are the country’s most optimistic for profit...
Nearly 70% of South West firms see climate change as a core business factor for them, according to a landmark survey of companies’ attitudes to the key issue – but, alarmingly, 21% have so far taken no action despite mounting concern over its impact. Just under half (46%) of the businesses that consider climate...
