Business West, the region’s largest business organisation, has appointed one of the South West’s top marketeers as its new chairman. Iain Wolsey, pictured, said he wanted Business West to ensure the region “punched a bit above our weight” and competed against the likes of the Northern Powerhouse and the Midlands Engine. “If we want...
Planning and legal experts from Bath are working with one of the city’s most-active residential property developers to regenerate an historic Bristol school. Kersfield acquired the three-acre former Redland High School site for a reported £9m and has drawn up plans to restore its Palladian mansion, listed buildings and grounds for residential use. The...
Bath PR agency Creatrix and Trowbridge event management firm InEvents have given their backing to a London-to-Paris cycle challenge which hopes to raise vital funds for transport projects and healthcare initiatives in developing countries. More than 60 cyclists will take part in the 240-mile feat over three days next month in aid of...
Corkage, the Bath independent wine bar, has opened a second, larger venue in the city, following the success of its Walcot Street outlet. Owners Marty Grant and Richard Knighting, pictured, have taken over the former home of the legendary Beaujolais restaurant on Chapel Row, converting it into what they describe as a “fine wine...
Independent spectacles and sunglasses retailer Ollie Quinn has acquired a retail unit in Bath to open its 12th UK outlet. The London-based firm, which also has branches in Canada, has agreed an eight-year lease on a high-profile corner store in New Bond Street close to similar aspirational retailers such as Bobby Brown, L’Occitane and...
Gaps in Bath and the West of England’s digital infrastructure are to be identified in a major new study aimed at improving its digital connectivity and boosting the economy. The project, to be launched in the autumn, will also identify the skills gaps in the digital sector that are holding back the region’s high-growth...
Bath Spa University has appointed national PR agency Grayling’s Bristol office to handle its public relations brief for the next year. The account was secured by Grayling, part of the London Stock Exchange-listed specialist communications and PR group Huntsworth, following a competitive tender process which included a number of regional PR consultancies. The core...
Commercial property specialist Colliers International’s South West office has added expertise in developing leisure destinations to its range of services following the appointment of an associate director who has worked with clients such as London’s Olympic Park, the Victoria & Albert Museum and the National Trust. Matt Hyslop, who has more than 10 years’...
By Donna Kehoe, Bank of England agent for the South West of England I always enjoy the conversations I have each day with those running businesses, charities and other organisations here in the South West. These discussions provide an up-to-the-minute insight into what’s really happening in the economy across the UK. And at the...
The roll-out of a next-generation news management system by the BBC to thousands of its journalists and a €2.5m (£2.27m) deal with a major public German broadcaster have boosted Chippenham-based specialist IT group SCISYS following its acquisition of the firm behind the technology. Munich-headquartered Annova had a 12-year contract with the BBC to supply...
