Logistics group Wincanton is looking to take a bigger share of the online growth in the home, and health and beauty sectors by opening a new dedicated eCommerce facility. Chippenham-based Wincanton will operate the facility in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, under its W2 digital banner, with plans for further investment in cloud-fulfilment systems and robotics. The...
Hotels should build an emotional attachment with potential visitors in their marketing to attract them rather than promote their post Covid-19 cleanliness, University of Bath research has found. The study, which also involved researchers from two other universities, showed that crisis communications emphasising shared emotional responses to risks enabled tourists to ‘humanise’ the hotel. This...
The increase in home deliveries triggered by the spike in online shopping during lockdown will boost profits at logistics group Wincanton, its directors have said. The Chippenham-headquartered group, which has a fleet of 3,500 vehicles and operates 14m sq ft of warehouse space, is a major player in both the supermarket fulfilment and home...
The coronavirus pandemic has pushed up the number of profit warnings issued by South West listed businesses to a 20-year high, with those in the travel and leisure sector hardest hit. According to new figures from accountancy group EY, profit warnings soared by 73% year-on-year in the first half of 2020 to 26 – with 85%...
Practical ideas on how businesses can continue to support charities during the coronavirus pandemic are to be aired at a webinar hosted by Quartet, the community foundation for the West of England. The third sector is facing its toughest time for a generation with hundreds of thousands of people needing support just as charities’...
Plans for an innovative co-living scheme on a high-profile site in Bath aimed at young people priced out of the city’s property market are to be available for public consultation. Developer the Watkin Jones Group had hoped to build student accommodation on the Regency Laundry site in St Peter’s Terrace on Lower Bristol Road. But the...
One of Bath’s oldest firms has bounced back from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on its business and is now ramping up production to meet an increase in demand by using a government-backed loan. Hawker Joinery, which turned 100 last year and hand-creates bespoke items such as high-end windows and doors, found itself...
Developers behind a major town centre regeneration scheme are to stage a street market and drive-in cinema on the site while they await planning permission for to build 300 homes on it. Innox Mills, a 10-acre brownfield site in Trowbridge, could become a new mixed-use quarter for the town with food, leisure and retail...
A tiny historic pub has reopened its doors after surviving the lockdown with the help of a Bounce Back Loan. The Flemish Weaver, which has been a feature of Corsham’s picturesque High Street since 1625, secured the government-backed financial support through Barclays. Owner Robert Carter, who bought the family pub just over three years ago, is...
Rishi Sunak’s efforts to kickstart to boost the housing market as it emerges from lockdown have been welcomed by the area’s residential property industry – with reservations over how effective they will be in the long term. David Westgate, chief executive of Keynsham-headquartered estate agency and property group Andrews, described the Chancellor’s stamp duty...
