Vastern Timber, the sawmill based at Studley, near Chippenham, is using two restoration projects it completed at the Tower of London this year to showcase its use of English oak and to make the case for British timber. The firm supplied wood for the reinstatement of the historic building’s drawbridge as well for furniture...
The University of Bath’s standing as one of the UK’s leading centres for industry-related research has been further enhanced by a major new national report which classified 87% of its work as world-leading. The results of the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF) place the university 13th in the research quality ranking of UK universities,...
Shares in Good Energy, the Chippenham-based renewable electricity supplier and generator, fell by more than 6% yesterday after it warned that its profits will be lower than expected this year. The fall came despite the firm announcing that it had secured a new £45m debt facility to invest in future generating capacity and customer...
Brewery, pub and restaurant operator Bath Ales has been named as a sustainability champion by the Sustainable Restaurant Association (S.R.A.) and awarded a double-star ‘excellent’ rating. The firm, whose interests span the Graze restaurant chain, pubs and bars as well as its range of beers, was evaluated against set criteria covering 14 areas of...
The annual search for the region’s best companies has started with the launch of accountants PwC’s widely-respected West of England Business of the Year Awards 2015. Now in their 27th year, the eagerly-contested awards are the most prestigious in the region by far – previous winners read like a who’s who of the West’s...
Exports by South West firms have risen slightly over the past year despite turmoil in the key eurozone market, new figures show. And more companies are following the Government’s advice and selling overseas as a way of strengthening their business. Regional trade boss Russell Jones welcomed the figures with cautious optimism and pointed to...
Bath-based health food wholesaler Supernutrients has leapt into a widely-respected league table of the country’s fastest-growing private businesses. The family-owned firm, formed in 2006 and based at South Stoke, is one of Europe’s largest importers and wholesalers of superfoods such as Goji berries, coconut oil and wheatgrass. Its 89% average annual sales growth over...
Hi-tech start-ups incubated by SETsquared, the innovation hub backed by the University of Bath, have created 9,000 jobs and contributed a staggering £3.8bn to the UK economy, research released today shows. The figures, which emerge from a study commissioned from Warwick Economics & Development, are based on the 1,041 companies that have benefitted from...
The Chancellor produced a balanced Autumn Statement yesterday that addressed business concerns around rates reform and finance, Bath business leaders said. Phil Smith, managing director of Business West, which runs Bath Chamber of Commerce, described it as a “crowd-pleasing” set of proposals for business, particularly its pledge for a major review into the “iniquitous...
Innovation incubator SETsquared, which is backed by the University of Bath, has unveiled two new projects – a £3.2m programme to speed up the commercialisation of university research and a partnership with academic health science networks to help NHS patients. The double boost was announced as it staged a showcase of more than 20...
