Pre-tax profits at 1pm, the fast-growing Bath-based specialist lender, rose by 25% to £700,000 in the six months to November 30, it announced this week. The profits rise came on sales up 31% to £2.56m as the firm’s expansion continued. New business written during the period was up 36% on the same period last...
Specialist restructuring firm Quantuma has expanded into the South West with an office headed by former BDO regional head Graham Randall. The firm, which already operates from bases in Southampton, Marlow, London and Brighton, has opened a Bristol office to provide specialised restructuring advice on all forms of insolvency procedures. Until recently Mr Randall,...
1pm, the Bath-based lender to the small and medium-sized business sector, is poised for further expansion after completing its move to larger premises The fast-growing firm has taken just over 4,000 sq ft of refurbished office space in St James House, The Square, on Lower Bristol Road and will now go ahead with plans...
Bath businessman Graham Miller has been appointed by alternative finance provider South West Investment Group (SWIG) Capital as a non-executive director to the board of its fund-holding arm. Mr Miller, pictured, a non-executive director of Bath-based IT services group IPL, joins the group as it looks to raise its profile in the West of...
Businesses are increasingly falling victim to fraud – most of it committed by their own employees, new figures show. The number of cases in the South West soared by 136% last year to 33, from 14 in 2013, according to accountants KPMG’s latest Fraud Barometer. Thirteen firms in the region were hit by the...
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...
Aria Networks, the leading-edge Chippenham-based tech firm, is planning to strengthen its lead in the fast-growing Software Defined Networking (SDN) market after securing further investment. The firm, whose customers include major US and European telecoms companies, cloud and datacentre operators, and social network providers, is already ahead of its SDN rivals. Its products, developed...
Accountancy firm Old Mill has smashed its 2014 fundraising target of £5,000 by raising more than four times as much for its charity of the year – the Piers Simon Appeal’s School in a Bag initiative. The firm, which has offices in Melksham and Wells, netted £22,000 for the Yeovil-based charity that provides rucksacks...
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...
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...
