Confidence among West of England businesses petered out at the end of 2014 and has started the new year lower than at any time over the previous 12 months, new research shows. Domestic sales, cashflow and recruitment expectations all fell during the fourth quarter, according to results of the latest business survey by Business...
Bristol Airport has acquired an electric van for use by its IT team as the first of a number of initiatives supporting the city’s year as European Green Capital. The Nissan e-NV200 is the first 100% electric-powered vehicle on the 176-hectare site. It has been bought with support from TravelWest, the organisation that promotes...
Peter Capener, the co-founder and chair of Bath and West Community Energy, has been appointed MBE in the New Year Honours list. Mr Capener, pictured, who is also a member of the ministerial Community Energy Contact Group, was recognised for “services to sustainable energy”. He has worked in the sustainable energy field for more...
Phil Smith, managing director of Business West, the organisation behind Bath Chamber of Commerce, looks back at the past 12 months and considers why next year’s General Election is set to be one of the most important in recent memory. “The noise and glare of fireworks this New Year must not mask the fact...
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...
