Business failures are rising faster in the South West than the national average as the tough market conditions and weak economy take their toll. The latest figures from business information provider Equifax show the number of businesses going bust in the region climbed by 22.5% during the three months to the end of September...
More than 610,000 passengers passed through Bristol Airport last month, making it the busiest September on record. The 1.5% year-on-year increase meant the monthly total surpassed the previous high of 601,432 in 2008. And despite the tough economic conditions, 2011’s passenger numbers are expected to be close to last year’s total of 5.7m, with...
UK economic growth has stalled and the Bank of England’s latest £75bn injection is unlikely to kick start it, another downbeat report said today. The respected Ernst & Young ITEM Club, which bases its quarterly report on the Treasury’s models, downgraded its forecast for growth this year from the 1.4% it predicted three months...
Bath is to host this year’s Green Energy Awards and the annual conference of renewable energy agency Regen SW. Speakers at the high-profile event, which takes place on November 9 at the Assembly Rooms, include Alasdair Grainger of the Department of Energy and Climate Change and Juliet Davenport, chief executive of Chippenham-based renewable electricity...
The Government has been urged to reinvigorate the UK economy by introducing supply side reforms, particularly changes to the tax system, to head off a full-scale collapse in business confidence. The plea, which come from accountants and business advisors BDO, coincided with this morning’s dire unemployment figures. BDO said they also want to see...
Unemployment has shot up to a 17-year high of 2.57m across the UK, worse-than-expected official figures have shown. The 114,000 increase between June and August took the official jobless rate to 8.1% – and immediately triggered calls for the Government to take firm action to avoid further increases. In the South West the number...
Distribution group Wincanton has welcomed Government plans to allow a trial of longer trucks onto UK roads. The Chippenham-based distribution group Wincanton has welcomed Government plans to allow a trial of longer trucks onto UK roads. The group, the largest UK-owned logistics company with around 8,000 vehicles and employing around 30,000 people, says a...
With key figures from the West’s PR industry gathering this evening for the prestigious CIPR West of England PRide Awards, Bath Business News is preparing its comprehensive coverage of the event. * We will be ‘live’ at the gala dinner with full details of all winners as soon as they are announced on www.bath-business.net...
Stronger-than-expected rent collection figures have helped buoy high street landlords ahead of the crucial Christmas trading season. Some 94% of retailers paid on time on quarter day – the day every three months when rents are due – up from 85% for the same quarter last year. The figure is a rare piece of...
Avon Rubber expects its annual pre-tax profits to be at the upper end of current market expectations, the Wiltshire-based manufacturing group said today in a trading update. The year to September 30 concluded strongly for both its divisions – protection & defence, and dairy – it said, while net debt at year end was...
