Bath’s office market is enjoying a period of very positive growth, according to new research from property agents in the city, as new high-quality space has become available. As a result, headline rents – which reached a record £36 per sq ft in 2022 – are expected to rise further to £38 per sq...
Confidence among the South West’s small businesses has plunged to the lowest level since the country emerged from Covid lockdowns, according to a new survey. The latest quarterly confidence report from the FSB (Federation of Small Businesses) reveals that fears of inflation, falling consumer demand and the general cost of doing business left optimism...
Time Finance, the Bath-headquartered alternative lender, has hailed as a success a change in strategy which shifted its focus to core lending products from its own resources. As a result, its lending book reached an all-time high of more than £150m at the end of November. The turnaround at the firm, which specialises in...
Revenues at Avon Protection, the defence manufacturing group, edged ahead by 6% in the past three months on higher sales of its body armour, it said today in a trading update. The Melksham-based group, which specialises in protective gear, masks and breathing equipment for the military and first-responder markets, also said it had a strong...
Shares in Inspecs, the Bath-headquartered spectacles designer and manufacture, soared by more than 50% after it said cost cutting and efficiencies brought in late last year and a stronger order book were paying off. The group suffered a tough end to 2022 following a warning over future sales and the resignation of its chair,...
Did you know that eight of out 10 parents in the South West have no legal guardian in place to care for their children in the event of their deaths? And did you know that social services or the courts can step in to decide what happens to your children, should you die without...
Each week Bath accountancy firm Pearson May and Bath Business News team up to bring you the top national finance stories. Treasury launches R&D tax reliefs review The consultation will look into merging the two schemes. Click here to read more The Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) welcomes repayment claimant protections Lack of regulation leaves customers at risk and costs...
A pioneering energy-based net zero housing policy being introduced by Bath & North East Somerset Council has been slammed as ‘undeliverable’ by the building industry’s trade association. The council has become the first in England to successfully adopt the move, which it sees as part of its commitment to tackling the climate emergency. It...
Barclays has appointed James Jordan as head of mid-corporate to lead its mid-corporate market team in the South West. James, pictured, has joined from HSBC UK, where he spent more than two decades in a variety of senior roles across its corporate and commercial divisions, including area commercial director for Bath for Bristol. More recently he led...
Financial planning firm Chilvester has more than doubled its office space by relocating in a move that also gives it ample room to expand. The company, which oversees client investments of £100m-plus, has upped sticks from Calne, where it was founded in 1999, to Chippenham to set it up for growth. Its new premises at Avon Reach on...
