The South West is England’s top region for business innovation, according to a new report by the CBI – but it faces challenges over its low productivity and skills gap. The CBI report also reveals that low levels of unemployment and short commuting times compared to other parts of England gives the South West...
The Western Gateway, the cross-border economic partnership of eight cities either side of the River Severn including Bath, has appointed three new members to its board. They include former Institute of Directors Bristol chair Lhosa DalyLhosa, pictured, who has also been chair of Bristol art gallery Arnolfini. The partnership was launched in November 2019 as the UK’s...
Five firms from the Bath area have been honoured by the Queen in her Awards for Enterprise scheme, with three of them - sex toy firm Lovehoney, digital science publisher SelectScience and specialist chemicals firm Glentham Life Sciences – gaining the accolade for the second time. Lovehoney, Europe’s largest manufacturer and online retailer of pleasure products, landed...
Global trading conditions are steadily improving for Bath-headquartered global manufacturer Rotork, it said today, despite continuing uncertainty over the impact of Covid-19. The group, which makes specialist valves for the global oil, gas, water and chemical industries, suffered a 9.7% fall in sales last year to £604.5m as coronavirus shut down large swathes of...
Shares in Somerset-based upmarket fashion brand Mulberry have risen to their highest level for more than two years after its sales bounced back over recent months. In a trading update, the group, best known for its luxury bags, said there had been strong growth in its important Asian markets while online sales had also...
Business West, the region’s largest business group, has used the ratification of UK-EU Trade and Co-operation Agreement (TCA) to renew its plea for help for firms hit by Brexit-related red tape. The TCA, the blueprint for free trade between following the UK’s departure from the EU, had been signed on December 30 last year...
Inspecs, the Bath-based global spectacles designer and manufacturer, said it remains cautious about its prospects this year as Covid-19 continues to wreak havoc across the world. The firm has made two major acquisitions since it floated on London Stock Exchange’s Alternative Investment Market (AIM) just over a year ago. The acquisitions – one in...
Small business confidence has staged a dramatic recovery in the South West, according to the results of a new survey, as firms look head to life after lockdown. The latest quarterly survey by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), conducted among its members last month, reveals levels of optimism not seen for nearly seven...
Being tied down with day-to-day administration can be frustrating, particularly when you would rather be developing your business. Whether you are a busy finance director or an entrepreneur growing a business, keeping your accounting and compliance requirements on track is essential to your success. Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) can remove the administrative burden and...
Somerset-based luxury fashion brand Mulberry – best known for its iconic bags – has vowed to become a net zero business by 2035 with a promise to start by using the world’s lowest carbon leather for its next product launch. Its new sustainability manifesto – which it has called Mulberry Made to Last –...
